Stevens girls may have a difficult ride this season All five starters from last year's 17-9 team are gone BY SHAWN LAYTON Staff Writer After graduating all five of its starters from a year ago, the J.P. Stevens High School girls basketball team could be in for a bumpy ride when the journey begins Dec. 15 when Perth Amboy comes to town to tip off the new season. Under first-year head coach John Spiess, the Hawks posted a 17-9 record after ending the season with a loss to Piscataway in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2 Group IV Tournament. "The kids responded really well last season," Spiess said. "Three of last year's starters are playing college basketball and another is playing softball. Brittany Mullings opted not to play sports and concentrate on her academics in the Ivy League at University of Pennsylvania." With Bobbi Van Fleet, Kathryn Ruhno and Casey Kirsch all playing college ball, it should come as no surprise to learn the Hawks suffered some serious losses. "We're a very young team, and we will take some lumps early in the season," Spiess said. "If we get the leadership we need from the veterans and play well, we should surprise some teams as the season progresses." Junior Gabrielle Freeman was the first Hawk off the bench last year and will be expected to take on a much bigger role this season. "She can play at either the three or four spot," Spiess said. "We expect her to step up her game and play well for us." Adrienne Dzema and Lauren Fellner are the two lone seniors on this year's team and will be looked upon for team leadership. Andrea Alvarez heads a list of three sophomores likely to see plenty of varsity action. Alvarez earned some playing time during the latter stages of last season at point guard. "She played for us a bit down the stretch last year," Spiess said. "She's a solid defender and a good ball-handler." Juniors Wonu Ogunsowaro and Jess Wright bring some varsity experience to the floor and should be nice role models for the freshmen on this year's team. Shannon LaFrano, Samantha Vale and Jessica Goldbach are all expected to play a lot of minutes in just their first seasons with the team. "They'll get experience by fire," Spiess said. "Jessica is a pretty good post player and you'll be seeing an awful lot of her. I think she'll turn into a very nice player. I think our young talent will turn into a real asset once the freshmen forget they are freshmen and just become varsity players. Because we're young, I expect that by the second half of the season we will be a much better team." After opening the season against Perth Amboy, the Hawks will travel south to play in the Brick Memorial Mustang Classic during the winter break. Games will be played Dec. 22, 26 and 27. "It's going to be a process," Spiess said. "The younger kids will learn what the varsity stage is all about, and once that happens, we will improve."