After setting a program record for wins, earning a conference tournament bye and advancing to the second round of NCAA tournament for the third time in head coach Terri Mitchell's tenure, the women's basketball team will have four big sets of shoes to fill next year as it moves forward without its quartet of starting seniors.
The Golden Eagles will be charged with replacing their top producers in just about every category, starting with leading rebounder and top scorer in conference games Christina Quaye, a first team All-Big East selection.
Quaye's departure is part of a frontcourt exodus that marks the departure of the team's top four rebounders, which could make it difficult for Marquette to duplicate the 4.8 rebound per game edge over opponents it enjoyed this year. Three of the team's top four shot blockers are also on the way out, including team leader Jasmine McCullough. In all, 35.7 of the team's 70.9 points per game will graduate in May.
The only holdover from this year's starting five will be sophomore Krystal Ellis, who led the team in scoring, assists and steals en route to first team all-conference honors. Ellis tacked an extra 7.3 points per game this year onto the 10.7 she averaged as a freshman, and will be the team's most prominent scoring option with Quaye out of the picture.
To make up the rest of the difference, Marquette will turn to what was one of the deepest benches in the Big East this year.
Three of the team's reserves averaged at least 15 minutes per game in 2006-'07, and freshman guard Janelle Harris was the only Golden Eagle who logged fewer than 10 minutes per contest.
With 4.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, and the second-most blocks on the team in 13.1 minutes per game, sophomore forward Kelly Lam was Marquette's most productive reserve this season.
She will look to fill some of the team's needs in the post next year. Lam also led the team in field-goal percentage, hitting 51.5 percent of her shots from the floor.
Sophomore guard Erin Monfre, who finished second on the team in three-point field goals behind Ellis, will be another potential scoring option. Monfre averaged 3.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in a bench-high 21.1 minutes per game this season, but shot just 26.9 percent from the field.
If Mitchell's team struggles next season, it will have another year to figure things out: Svetlana Kovalenko will be the only graduating senior in 2008 on a young squad. Kovalenko led all reserves with 3.8 rebounds per game this year to go along with 4.0 points in 15.2 minutes per contest.
Help is also on the way in the form of incoming freshman guard Angel Robinson. Ranked as high as No. 49 in the nation by scouting services, Robinson is the highest-rated recruit Marquette has ever signed.
Robinson is coming off a senior year at St. Paul Central High School in which her Minutemen romped through the regular season and state tournament undefeated.
Robinson took home Metro Player of the Year honors from the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune and was named to the Associated Press All-State First Team.
The Minnesota high school leader in career steals, the 5-foot-9 Robinson also averaged 15.8 points per game and could see time in the backcourt alongside Ellis.