Even after losing five seniors to graduation, the ISU women’s basketball team feels as if it’s reloading, not rebuilding.

Picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 by the league’s coaches, the young Cyclones have a lot to prove before skeptics will believe Iowa State is as lethal as it proved to be last season.

Coach Bill Fennelly said the team has a lot to learn before its success can accurately be measured, especially with completely unproven talent.

“We lost five of the best seniors I’ve ever been around, and I’m not talking about the best players,” Fennelly said. “I’m talking about collectively, this program took a huge hit.”

The loss of tenured athletes is giving freshmen Rachel Pierson, Nicky Wieben, Heather Ezell, Gillian Bjerke and Amanda Nisleit a rare chance to compete for a starting position at an early age, but sophomores Seirra Dawson and Lisa Bildeaux also have a chance to step up.

Dawson said her expectations for the team haven’t dipped at all.

“Losing five seniors, but gaining five freshmen, we haven’t lost that much,” she said.

“We lost the people, but not the talent.”

As talented as the youngsters may be, the experience the seniors brought to the table last season is something that cannot be replaced.

Even so, returning starter Lyndsey Medders said to look at the season as a rebuilding year would immediately make it a lost cause, and that’s not necessarily the case.

“I’ve never understood the whole ‘rebuilding’ term, to be honest,” she said.

“We’re Division I basketball players, everybody should be wanting to get better, everyone should be wanting to rebuild.”

Senior Brittany Wilkins agreed.

“I feel confident that we’re in shape and that we’re ready to go,” she said.

“A lot of people probably aren’t expecting us to be as great as we were in the past, but we don’t consider this a rebuilding year by any means.”

Even Fennelly said calling this season a rebuilding year would “automatically tear down everyone’s expectations,” but remained very realistic in his assessment of goals for the upcoming year. Coupled with one of the hardest schedules in recent memory, the Cyclones may experience some growing pains.

“The goal for us literally, to focus on getting better every day,” Fennelly said.

“Our goals are still the same. We want to play in a post-season tournament, we want to provide the fans with the entertainment that they deserve … inexperienced team, tough schedule, new AD -not a good combination.”

With Medders and junior Megan Ronhovde in a newfound position, Medders said she is already beginning to feel the pressure, although it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

She said fans just need to look at the coaching staff before passing judgment on Iowa State.

“I’m excited, I love being in this position,” she said.

“It’s fun. I know there’s a lot more expected of me, and I probably haven’t slept as well the past couple of months as I had before, but I’m excited.”

Ronhovde said Fennelly will do what it takes to bring the Cyclones into the spotlight and make them a great team, despite having a lot of inexperienced players.

“We’re lucky to have Coach Fennelly, he’s notorious for turning a bunch of good players into a great team.”

Still, the Cyclones find themselves in unfamiliar territory, and not much to build upon. Last season the Cyclones posted 23 wins, made the NCAA tournament and finished the year ranked No. 25.

This season’s start yields a very different mindset.

“Last year’s team, I think it would have been a tremendous disappointment if they had not made the NCAA tournament,” Fennelly said.

“This year’s team, I think it would be an upset.”

Above all, Fennelly said the Cyclones need to stay healthy, which can be tough to do throughout the course of an entire Big 12 season. No matter what obstacles lie in front of them, though, the team will not try to justify its hardships.

“We’re not going to be about excuses, we’re going to go play,” Fennelly said.

“There’s a lot of good teams that have won with freshmen. Our freshmen are good enough, and Lyndsey’s good enough and Megan’s good enough.”