When Crystal Kelly left Western, she left behind some big shoes to fill. But if you ask Lady Topper head coach Mary Taylor Cowles, she’ll gladly tell you that there is still plenty of talent at Western to make up for Kelly’s absence. “If I’m not mistaken, we still have some all-American talent in our post-game,” Cowles said.

Record last season 29-7, Sun Belt Conference champions, NCAA Tournament regional semifinalist The Low-Down The Toppers have been severely short-staffed the first few weeks of practice, so much so that they only dressed seven players in their latest exhibition game.

Record last season: 26-8, Sun Belt Conference champions The Low-Down They are young. With only one senior who saw playing time last season in forward Dominique Duck and two juniors in guard Kenzie Rich, and forward Jessica Magley, some pressure will be put on the younger players to step up and take on some responsibilities.

For the past two seasons, junior guard A.J. Slaughter learned the ins-and-outs of the guard position from former Toppers such as all-Sun Belt Conference selection Tyrone Brazelton and 2007-08 Sun Belt Player of the Year Courtney Lee, a first round pick of the NBA’s Orlando Magic.