The Red Hawks lost in the championship game of the Liberty League Tournament, failed to make the NCAAs, and lost in the first round of the ECAC tournament.

To top it off, the team lost RPI’s all time leading scorer, Kaitlyn Saunders, who not only was an offensive juggernaut and defensive anchor, but also drew a lot of attention from opponents, which created opportunities for her teammates. Amy Morin also graduated. The former point guard brought leadership, intensity, and many other intangibles.

In the early stages of the season, the Red Hawks seem to be adjusting quite nicely to life without Saunders. RPI, now 2-0, has posted impressive victories over Wellesly and New York State’s top ranked team, Oswego State.

The team has shot extremely well, especially from beyond the arc, hitting 58 percent from deep in the young season. RPI has limited their turnovers to 13 a game while forcing 19 a contest. The Red Hawks are also boasting an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1:1.

There have been solid individual performances thus far including a 15-point effort off the bench from freshman Whitney Coleman against Wellesly that earned her All-Tournament Team and Liberty League Rookie of the Week honors. Victory number two came at the top-ranked Lakers’ expense. The Red Hawks were fueled by 23 points from sophomore Tory Lyons and a pair of clutch three pointers from rookie Caitlyn Charest in overtime.

The early success is a good indicator the women’s basketball program has maintained a line of great players with strong character, a tradition Head Coach John Greene prizes.

In a highly competitive division, Greene knows that every conference game matters, “We can’t discount anyone, there are no easy games because only the top four teams advance to the NCAA tournament.”

The preseason thus far has been one of the toughest ever for the Red Hawks in terms of competition. Greene, however, believes, “This will only prepare us more for the conference tourney as well as the regular season as we are going to be forced to play at a high, intense level.” He added, “It’s great, too, because you could say that our younger players are getting seasoned as they get more and more experience.”

Continuing with the theme of experience, the main question on everyone’s mind with regard to the Red Hawks this season is how the young nucleus will hold up. Some concerns Greene sees include how fast the team will comprehend the system and be able to execute it. The team will also need to quickly develop the intensity and intelligence Greene requires on defense, both in man-to-man and rotational assignments. Greene added, “It has to be automatic. I’m less concerned about the offense than the team defense. It isn’t a lack of ability, they just need time to work at it.”

The Red Hawks can certainly overcome these supposed weaknesses due to the great deal of potential, depth, and the skilled players that are returning with a high level of experience.

RPI’s ultimate goal is to win the conference championship, but Greene has also outlined both team and individual goals on a game-to-game basis. Some examples include holding opponents to under 50 points, getting to the free throw line 25-plus times, creating turnovers while limiting their own, and rebounding.

With the team being very young, Greene is counting on everyone to contribute. Ultimately, what this means is there will be a more balanced scoring attack, minutes played for individuals will be spread out, the bench will be very deep, and there will be more rotations. Greene is hoping this will keep players fresher and in turn more effective. In the past, this may have not been a possibility, but Greene is confident he can substitute any player at any given time.

Lone senior Rebecca Primm, in conjunction with juniors Destany Eagles, Kristi Baranowski, and Nicole Van Slyke round out the upper class. Eagles and Van Slyke had breakout years last season; each with their respective big games. Baranowski’s playing time was limited last year by a painful dislocated shoulder, and her being slated behind Saunders on the depth chart. She is fully recovered now, and will be thrown right into the fire at both the small and power forward positions.

Players with some experience such as Missy Jackman, Brittney O’Neal, Lyons, and Sarah Briggs all have high expectations to live up to as well. Jackman, who had learned a lot last season and made some big shots for RPI, will again get some big minutes and provide some leadership and focus. Briggs, who also plays soccer, will play the two and three spots coming off the bench, and Lyons, very mobile for a center, plays fierce defense, is a solid decision maker, and is always a threat to score.

A strong recruiting campaign fielded a great crop of freshmen talent including Charest, Kristin Danbury, Elizabeth Barker, Kate Naske, Kerry Hayes, and Coleman. Each of the youngsters has had a successful high school career and already has the understanding of what it is like to play against and with the best. This makes the expectations very high but realistic, and hopefully the transition from high school to college can be a smooth one. It’s obvious that some will feel that the team is too young, and the ultimate question is whether the youngsters have the ability to make an immediate impact.

When asked this, Greene said, “They definitely have the ability, and if they continue to develop, the end of the year results will be great.”

The individual game goals will lead to the building of the team as a whole as the season progresses, the small goals will translate to the bigger picture and success of the team.

Coach Greene wants a pressured style defense to cause turnovers, get tips, and wreak havoc on the court. This will translate to offense and many fast breaks as the team will look to run and utilize their athleticism.