Meet the 2015-16 DePaul women’s basketball team

2014 in review

86.0 points per game

70.2 opponent points per game

43 percent field goal percentage

Record: 27-8 overall, 15-3 in Big East, first place

A closer look at the 2015-16 roster

Guards

Senior point guard Chanise Jenkins steps into the leadership role as a senior captain and will be one of the focal points of the offense. She averaged 12.4 points a game, an average that could increase without Brittany Hrynko on the team.

Junior shooting guard Jessica January faced inconsistencies in 2014-15 but still averaged 11.6 points a game last season. She put up 26 points in DePaul’s exhibition against Lewis as she looks to find a consistent stroke this year.

Junior guard Brooke Schulte is new to the starting lineup but has the potential for a big offensive season. Doug Bruno has called her one of the keys to the season as she provides another high-shooting ability.

Bigs

Senior forward Megan Podkowa is a versatile weapon on the inside as she can stretch the floor, either inside as a rebounder and rim protector or as an outside shooter. She averaged 14.2 points per game as a junior and also grabbed an average of 6.4 rebounds.

Sophomore forward Mart’e Grays will likely get starting time depending on whether Bruno wants to go with a four-guard or three-guard formation. Regardless, Grays has height but can also shoot the ball. She only averaged 5.9 points a game and shot 38.9 percent from the field, but with more time on the court this season, both of those numbers should go up. She had the highest amount of shots in DePaul’s exhibition against Saint Xavier.

Bench

Redshirt sophomore Meri Bennett-Swanson and junior Brandi Harvey-Carr are going to be the first forwards off the bench. Bennett-Swanson did not play in 2014-15 and Harvey-Carr has been inconsistent Grays and Podkowa are likely to see a lot of playing time on the inside.

Sophomores Ashton Millender and Lauren Prochaska each got playing time  last year and will be some of the first guards coming in as subsitutes, although freshman Tanita Allen could challenge them for minutes depending on how they progress throughout the season.

Rounding out the bench is redshirt freshman Elri Liebenberg and redshirt freshman guard Megan Waldron, who may end up needed because of depth.