Four freshmen join a team that reached the second round of the NCAA tournament and has every player returning, creating one of the deepest teams Iowa State has had.

The Cyclones, however, still have to figure out who plays well with whom, coach Bill Fennelly and forward Amanda Nisleit said at Big 12 Media Days in Oklahoma City.

“We have a lot of different pieces of the puzzle,” Nisleit said. “If someone has a good night or a bad night, it is good to have options.”

Fennelly said the challenge for the coaches will be to get the players to understand that if they play a few fewer minutes each night, it could make the team better.

“This is going to be the greatest example of my time at Iowa State, where if we have all of our players put the team first, we’ll be very good,” Fennelly said. “If we don’t, then we’re not going to do the things that we could do, and that ultimately is my responsibility.”

The Cyclones were without forwards Nicky Wieben and Toccara Ross for the second half of the season after both players suffered season-ending knee injuries. Iowa State will get both players back this season, but Ross had to have her knee scoped last week. She is expected to miss three to six weeks of practice time, which could change some roles for players from last season.

Fennelly said one of the changes he would like to see is from Kelsey Bolte, who, Fennelly said, needs to hunt for her shot more often.

“Instead, being out there and just getting a shot when she’s open, she’s got to create some shots,” Fennelly said.

Iowa State plays what Fennelly considers its toughest non-conference schedule since he has been in Ames. It includes defending National runner-up Stanford and SEC favorite Vanderbilt.

“It is going to show us right away where we are and what we need to work on,” Nisleit said.

Freshmen handling pressure well

Even though the Cyclones return every player that played a major role last season, two freshmen are expected to man the point guard position.

The reason is to move last season’s point guard, Alison Lacey, to her more natural wing position. Whitney Williams and Alexis Yackley are expected to take over that position.

Nisleit said the freshmen, especially Williams and Yackley, have the same ups and downs that everyone does when they first get into practice against the scout team.

“It puts a little bit more pressure on them and they get a little more in their face,” Nisleit said. “They’ve handled it really well and they’ve grown and learned so much in just these past couple of days.”

Fennelly said the scout team has allowed him to look more at certain combinations, including the new players.

“The biggest thing is how much time do you spend with every single combination,” Fennelly said. “We have done it five days with out Alison [Lacey] there, which in a weird way has been good.