Huskers to Hold First Official Practice

Lincoln - The Nebraska women's basketball team begins its first official day of preseason practice on Monday afternoon.

The Huskers, who will replace four senior starters from last year's squad that advanced to their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament, enter the fall with plenty of potential.

Nebraska is excited for the return of senior All-American point guard Rachel Theriot, who missed all of February and March last season with an ankle injury. The MVP of the 2014 Big Ten Tournament, Theriot is within striking distance of Nebraska's career assist record.

The Huskers also welcome back sophomore guard Natalie Romeo, who stepped up in place of Theriot last season to become one of Nebraska's top offensive threats down the stretch. Romeo tied the school record with seven threes in a second-round Big Ten Tournament win over Illinois. During Nebraska's four-game tour of Australia in August, Romeo averaged 19.8 points per game against a collection of Australian professional and semi-professional teams.

Nebraska's backcourt hopes to be bolstered by the addition of senior Kyndal Clark. The 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year missed all of last season after suffering a knee injury in the 2014-15 opener for Drake. She graduated in May and transferred to play her final season with the Huskers.

The Huskers also got strong summers from sophomores Jasmine Cincore and Emily Wood, who were both starters on NU's trip to Australia. Cincore and junior guard Esther Ramacieri enter fall practice fighting the injury bug.

Freshman Maddie Simon, the 2015 Nebraska High School Player of the Year at Lincoln Pius X, also started throughout NU's Australian Tour.

Inside, Nebraska could have the deepest and most talented group in school history. Two-time Nebraska High School Player of the Year Jessica Shepard will enter fall practice after spending the past nine months recovering from a knee injury suffered as a senior at Fremont High School. Shepard, a star at Fremont High School after spending her freshman and sophomore seasons at Lincoln Southeast, was the No. 1 post player in ESPN's recruit rankings a year ago. 

Fellow freshman Rachel Blackburn, a 6-3 forward from Leavenworth, Kan., regularly threatened to produce double-doubles as a starter for the Huskers in Australia, while shooting 65 percent from the field.

Junior Allie Havers, a 6-5 center from Mattawan, Mich., nearly averaged a double-double as a leader for the Huskers in Australia. Nebraska's first post off the bench the past two seasons, Havers is the most experienced Husker overall behind Theriot.

Nebraska gets more inside help from senior Anya Kalenta. The 6-3 forward from Belarus was a first-team NJCAA All-American two years at Vincennes University, and proved herself as a legitimate offensive theat for the Big Red a year ago, despite battling injuries.

The Huskers also saw good things from redshirt freshman Darrien Washington throughout her redshirt season and the summer tour of Australia. A powerful force inside, Washington was a rebounding machine in Australia and gives Nebraska a back-to-the-basket post presence. 

Alicia Ostrander, a senior on Nebraska's volleyball team, is not expected to join the Huskers for fall practice. The 6-3 forward who was an all-state basketball player at Gordon-Rushville High School is expected to join the Huskers at the conclusion of volleyball season.