Bartlett would appear to have it all this season

Talented.

Tall.

Athletic.

Skilled.

Motivated.

Deep.

All of the above are what coaches dream of.

Denise Sarna's dreams are coming true.

The 2010-11 Bartlett girls basketball team has each of those qualities, so it's no wonder the Hawks also have high expectations for the new season, one that could certainly be their best since Lindsay Schrader & Co. rode the magic carpet to a second-place finish in the 2005 Class AA state tournament.

The Hawks are coming off a 2009-10 season that ended with a 70-57 loss to Fenwick in the sectional finals, a defeat that just left Bartlett wanting more and more this year.

"We don't expect anything less of ourselves" says 6-foot-1 senior Jacki Gulczynski, the Wisconsin signee and returning Daily Herald All-Area co-captain who enters her senior season with 1,270 career points, leaving her 5 shy of tying Morgan Aycox for second behind Schrader on the program's all-time scoring list.

"We have high expectations but we know our focus has to be game-by-game. You can't look forward too much."

Gulczynski, who averaged 17.8 points per game, 9.2 rebounds and was selected the Upstate Eight Conference Player of the Year, leads a group of returnees that won 12 of their last 14 games last season, the only loss prior to Fenwick coming to state-ranked Geneva. That after a 9-8 start that included a rough stretch of three straight losses at the Dundee-Crown Christmas tournament and then a loss to St. Charles East right after Christmas break.

But then came the streak, and the defining game of that streak was an 87-64 win over South Elgin, a game in which Gulczynski poured in 31 points.

And Sarna, now in her 13th season as Bartlett's only girls basketball coach and with a 186-140 record at the school, says that while Gulczynski has gotten better in the offseason, so too has the rest of her team.

"All of our kids made strides over the summer," Sarna said. "Jacki has added a little to her overall game just by playing and practicing. She's been to a lot of tournaments and camps and she's played against some of the better players in the country in her age group.

"Our team played together over the summer but we also like our kids going out and playing on the travel teams and seeing that good competition. A combination of the two is good."

And Gulczynski's hopes for this team are as high as anyone's.

"We've definitely got a lot of leadership back this year," she said. "We've got all juniors and seniors pushing each other in practice and people are taking different leadership roles.

"This is a time to have fun but to be serious also. I have very high expectations for this team and I want us to go as far as we possibly can go."

And don't think for a minute that Bartlett's game is all about Gulczynski. The depth and talent behind her is, well, deep and talented.

It starts with senior Christina Carlson, a 6-foot post player who can also come out and play a power forward. Signed with San Jose State, Carlson averaged 6.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last season while battling injuries.

Also back are a trio of juniors who all started and gained valuable varsity experience last year. Haley Videckis, an all-area 6-foot forward, is drawing mid-major interest after a productive summer. She averaged 10.2 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last season. Kristin Conniff, the Hawks' fourth 6-foot starter and an all-area selection last year, averaged 9.6 points and 4.6 rebounds a season ago, and 5-6 point guard Janessa Baker scored 5.5 points and dished out 2.4 assists, a number sure to go up this season as she moves to the position full time.

Off the bench, the Hawks can bring another 6-footer with varsity experience in junior Lisa Palmer, who averaged 4 points and 3.5 rebounds a game last season in a reserve and part-time starting role.

"Haley spent a lot of time working on her shot this summer and Lisa came on as an important factor for us last year when Christina got hurt," said Sarna, who has added former St. Viator and Schaumburg coach Bill Murmann to her staff as the Hawks' freshman coach. "Christina can be deadly around the basket and Kristin Conniff is an extremely intelligent girl. She's very quiet and nothing flashy but she can play."

Sarna's first player off the bench will be Nicole Beck, a 5-8 senior whose chosen sport is softball but who can't rid herself of her love for basketball.

"It's something different than softball," said Beck, who averaged 4.4 points and 2.6 rebounds last year. "There's only five girls out there and we play as a team to reach our main goal. I still have a love for the game and enjoy playing with all my friends. It's a different atmosphere than softball."

Sarna is happy to have Beck in a role more suited for her versatility.

"Nicole has always had a beautiful shot," Sarna said. "When she was younger we relied on her to bring the ball up the floor but we don't need to do that now. She'll have an opportunity to be more offensive-minded."

Junior Katie Gutzwiller, and senior Briana Kulbeda, who is a captain along with Gulczynski and Carlson, add to the varsity experience while a host of juniors expect to play support roles.

"This is the deepest team we've had," Sarna said. "We have a lot of different looks and options. We have 15 players on the team and I have confidence in many of the players coming off the bench. We want to push the pace so it's to our advantage to have the depth we do. Quality minutes off the bench will keep everyone fresh."

And if they're still fresh in about three months, it could be one long postseason for Hawks fans again.