For the last four seasons, the Penn women's basketball team was centered around one person -- forward Jewel Clark.
But this year, the Quakers face life without their second all-time leading scorer, and have had to adjust their offense accordingly.
It is a system, and a team, without one true star. Instead, a number of players will be expected to contribute in the post or on the perimeter -- and in many cases, all over the court.
"It's going to be a new system," Penn coach Patrick Knapp said. "No matter the coach, there was no way it was going to all stay the same -- something was going to have to change."
That something will likely affect senior guard Cat Makarewich's role this year. After shooting 42.4 percent from three-point range last season, Knapp has asked Makarewich to be more willing to take the ball inside.
"Everybody who's played Penn the last three years knows Cat can [shoot], so Cat had better do something else," Knapp said. "And if they're dumb enough to lay off of Cat, she knows she can shoot threes until the cows come home."
Makarewich has embraced that role thus far, as Sunday's season-opener with Northeastern approaches.
"We'll try to get it to the inside," she said. "But we're definitely going to look to shoot."
Senior point guard Amanda Kammes, who will direct traffic on the floor for the Red and Blue, said that the team's style this year will be "much different" from years past.
"We don't have any definite set offenses," Kammes said. "It's going to help get a lot of other people involved and get a lot of people scoring."
Kammes expects junior center Jennifer Fleischer, a second-team All-Ivy selection last season, to be a dominant figure inside once again this year.
"If people don't respect her inside, then we're going to pound it in," Kammes said. "And because we are going to pound it in, they are going to have to honor that and we are going to get our outside shooting open."
Kammes was confident enough in the offense to assert that the team will not have to "live and die by" its perimeter shooting.
"I think something that is going to come through a lot this year is how well we are going to win as a team, [and] going to lose as a team," she said. "I think there's not necessarily going to be a standout player this year."
Along with Fleischer and senior center Katie Kilker, sophomore forward Monica Naltner is expected to see significant time in the post this season. She clearly relishes that opportunity.
"I'm a lot more confident with the ball this year," she said. "I think I'll be taking it to the hole more and crashing the boards -- so I'll be more aggressive."
Penn's depth inside may be one of its biggest strengths this season, although Knapp is not yet sure to what degree he will take advantage of that.
"I would say that Jen, Mon and Katie should give us quality minutes in the post, absolutely," Knapp said. "After that, what I don't like to do is categorize kids -- any one of the people after that can move up the ladder."
Knapp also said that he plans to be flexible in laying out his system on the floor.
"I think we're looking at three guards and two posts," he said. "But we're not going to hesitate to use four perimeter people, use four guards and a post."
Whatever the system, all that matters is that it works -- and if it does, it will take Penn a long way toward an unprecedented second straight Ivy League title.
