Scouting Dundee-Crown girls basketball

Dundee-Crown Chargers

Coach: Michelle Russell (3rd year, 4-50)

Conference: Fox Valley (Valley)

2009-10 record: 2-25 (0-10 FVC Valley)

Top returning players: Lauren Mosher (Sr., 5-6 G), Dana Ewert (Sr., 5-5 G), Alexis Holm (Sr., 5-5 G), Klaudia Tabor (Sr., 5-6 G), Brittany Schultz (Sr., 5-8 F), Ali Sanders (Jr., 5-6 G).

Top newcomers: Carlin Faulkner (Jr., 5-5 G), Diamond Williams (Jr., 5-9 F), Sammy Murray (Jr. 5-5 G), Kelly Dzuiba (Jr., 5-5 G), Angelique Belder (Jr., 5-3 G), Madelyn Cavallaro (Jr., 5-6 F), Amari Mays (Jr., 5-3 G), Taylor Rodriguez (Jr., 5-5 G).

Season outlook: After back-to-back 2-25 seasons, Dundee-Crown is looking to be vastly improved this season, and the Chargers should be with a wealth of experience back and a talented junior class that went 15-10 last year moving up. "Compared to last year I think we'll be more competitive," said Russell, the all-time leading scorer in Dundee-Crown history. "The junior group is pretty talented and we're trying to talk about building off the success the sophomore team had last year. We want to keep that winning mentality going."

Sanders is the team's leading returning scorer having averaged 9.5 points per game last season as well as 3.3 rebounds. Ewert and Holm have scoring ability and Faulkner, Williams and Murray all saw time on the varsity level last year. "I think we have the ability to put some points on the board," Russell said. "We're small but the intensity and quickness are there. They're pretty tough." Russell knows taking care of the basketball will the Chargers' biggest challenge in a defensive-oriented Fox Valley Conference. "We averaged 25 turnovers a game last year and we can't have that again," Russell said.