PORTLAND, Ore. – Coming off their first ever trip to the "Big Dance," the Portland State women's basketball team heads into the 2010-11 season looking for another first.

Led by four seniors and a roster that features an abundance of depth, the Vikings are seeking their first Big Sky Conference regular season title.

Over the past three years under Head Coach Sherri Murrell, there have been quite a few firsts for the Portland State program. There was the school's first-ever 20-win season at the Division I level after Murrell took over for the 2007-08 year. Then came a trip to the WNIT in 2009, marking PSU's first postseason appearance as a DI program. And then last season, Murrell directed the Viks to their first Big Sky Conference tourney title and to the NCAA tournament.

While the Vikings lost one of their all-time greats to graduation in point guard Claire Faucher, they do boast the most depth they've ever had under Murrell. The fourth-year head coach says there are at least eight players who could start on any given night and Viking fans could see many different starting lineups throughout the year.

"We just have so much depth and different combinations we can use that the best five players are not always going to be starting," said Murrell, who is 63-34 at PSU. "The five players that start one game to the next might always change and they might not always be the top five. The people coming off the bench are going to be major contributors and we won't fall off at all.

"We'll have three players coming off the bench immediately that could have started for us. It is really going to put teams that don't have a lot of depth at a disadvantage. I think that is our biggest threat, how deep we can go on the bench."

Under Murrell, the Vikings have always been a team that likes to get up and down the floor. For the first time since she took over the program, she believes they have the depth to do it game-in and game-out.

"It has obviously been an emphasis in our program since the beginning when I got here," Murrell said, referring to the Vikings' fast-tempo of play. "But now it's even that much more of an emphasis. We have so much depth and we can always throw players out there that will be in shape."

Through the first month of practice, Murrell says players are buying into the fact that there might not be a concrete starting lineup. That has translated into chemistry on the squad.

"The number one thing that I am pleased with so far is our overall team chemistry. Right now we are just flowing together."

The Vikings are hoping their depth and chemistry can help them fulfill one more first ... winning the Big Sky title.

"You have four seniors that have been with us from the beginning that have done a lot of firsts," said Murrell, "but there is one first they haven't done and that is win the regular season championship."

This year's edition of Portland State basketball will be led by the seniors Murrell mentioned – Lexi Bishop, Courtney Cremer, Kelly Marchant and Kelli Valentine. In all, the Vikings return nine letterwinners and three starters from last season's team that went 18-15 overall and tied for fifth in the Big Sky at 9-7.


POSITION-BY-POSITION BREAKDOWN

BACKCOURT

The loss of Faucher, who led the team in scoring, assists and steals last season, is undoubtedly a big one. But, Murrell says the Vikings will be in good hands with junior Eryn Jones in charge.

"Honestly, Eryn played the point quite a bit last year, even though it seemed like Claire always had the ball in her hands. Eryn is comfortable at the point or the two-guard. Last season, she was the most consistent and solid player for the entire year. More importantly, she is playing pain free this season."

Jones had surgery in the off-season to remove a bone spur from one of her achilles tendons, and is it at 100 percent for the first time since her freshman year.

Backing up Jones will be sophomore Nichole Jackson. According to Murrell, Jackson "brings a different element defensively. She also brings some speed and quickness."

From there, the Vikings have four others that are guards. Bishop, Marchant, sophomore Karley Lampman and sophomore transfer Courtney VanBrocklin all will see minutes in the backcourt.

"Lexi Bishop by far has been such a defensive stopper for us. But one thing, and you saw this in our exhibition game, she is playing more freely and she is excited about her offensive role," said Murrell.

"Marchant is quick on both ends of the floor. I think she has improved mostly on her defensive game, while she has always been an offensive threat and is our biggest three-point threat."

"Karly is a big guard that can play inside and out. She is probably the most improved player from the end of March until now. Mentally she has matured and I think she has also matured on the basketball court. I'm excited about the improvements that she has made."

VanBrocklin is the newcomer to the group. The 5-foot-7 guard sat out last season after transferring from Boise State and she wasted little time impressing the Viking faithful in the exhibition game against Western Oregon, filling the stat sheet with 10 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

"Courtney is definitely the quickest, most athletic and strongest, scrappiest player that we have overall. She is going to give us instant offense and defense. She just changes the game when she comes in."


FRONTCOURT

Valentine, the 2007-08 Big Sky Freshman of the Year, leads the Viking frontcourt. A dual threat inside and out, Murrell says Valentine has become even more physical in her last year on the Park Blocks.

"You look at the seniors and what they have contributed and Kelli Valentine has always found a way to make us a better team," Murrell said. "She is such a threat because she is a perimeter player, and at her size she can drive and also shoot the three. The area she is most improved on is her physical presence. I see her getting to the free-throw line a lot more this year."

Junior forward Katy Wade will anchor the key defensively. Last season, Wade rewrote the Portland State record book as she blocked 68 shots, a school single-season record, and also had seven in one contest to tie a 19-year old PSU record.

Like Valentine, senior center Courtney Cremer can play inside or out. Murrell calls Cremer "one of our most consistent three-point shooters that also has a nice touch around the basket."

Junior Stephanie Egwautu, freshmen Allie Brock and Keaton McFadden, and transfer Shauneice Samms add depth at the forward position.

Egwautu has battled injuries her first two seasons and is looking to play pain free for the first time in her career. Murrell says Egwautu has a good drop step down low that helps her get to the basket.

Brock is in the same mold as Cremer and Valentine.

"She's a player that can play inside or outside," Murrell said. "Her physical strength is amazing and that's why we want her inside. She is a very smart player and has been well coached by Mike Meek in the Southridge (High School) program. She is just a player that has all of the intangibles."

Murrell says that McFadden is the strongest player on the team and has been setting records in the weight room, but is still fairly new to the game.

"Her physical presence is there, now it's just learning the game. As she learns the game she is going to be a very, very dominant player for us in the future."

Samms spent her first two seasons at the College of Southern Idaho, where she averaged 14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.8 steals, and was named a second team JUCO All-American as a freshman.

"Shauneice is another player that can go inside or out and that's her biggest strength. But she also is very physical and has great shot-blocking ability."


THE SCHEDULE

Portland State's schedule features eight teams that reached the postseason last year, including two that went to the NCAA tournament. The Viks open the year at Pac-10 foe Washington, on Nov. 14, and play seven of their first 10 games on the road.

The Vikings take on fellow NCAA tourney teams Tulane – at a tournament in Berkeley, Calif., on Nov. 27 – and Georgia Tech – whom PSU hosts on Dec. 21. Four others on the schedule reached the WNIT a year ago: California (Nov. 28), Nevada (Dec. 16), BYU (Dec. 18) and Eastern Washington (Jan. 8, Jan. 27). The other two postseason teams, Washington and Portland (Dec. 28), advanced to the Women's Basketball Invitational.

"I look at last year's non-conference schedule and it was extremely hard. Then I look at this year's and it's even harder," said Murrell. "Nothing is going to be a cake walk and that's why we schedule it that way.

"I feel like when we went into the game against Texas A&M (in the NCAA tournament) we weren't starry eyed, we weren't nervous, and our players played with a lot of confidence because we had played against strong teams in the preseason.

Portland State opens up Big Sky play on Jan. 8, at Eastern Washington and will play four of its first five conference contests away from the Stott Center. Murrell says for the Vikings, or any other team for that matter, to win the league title, they must win on the road.

"Top to bottom it's the strongest it has been in a long time. I know Montana was picked first and they are a very solid team, and Eastern is solid as well, but I think it's going to be a lot of beating up on each other. It's a tough conference to be on the road and road trips aren't easy. Winning on the road will be crucial."

The Vikings were picked to finish third in the Big Sky in both preseason polls, behind the Grizzlies and Eagles. Last year, PSU was tabbed as the favorite and always had a target on their back. This year, the Vikings will be the ones taking aim.

"I saw the look on their faces when I told them where we were picked and I think they have a chip on their shoulder," Murrell said. "I look at it like it's great, we don't have a target on our back. Although everybody is going to be gunning for us because we made the tourney last season. They (the players) look at it like we have to prove to everyone else how good we are.

"The polls do not matter to me. It's where we are playing at the end of the year and at the end of the year we better be playing in the first round somewhere."