Even though basketball phenom Amanda Redhead scored 382 points, stole 122 defensive rebounds and was a five-time athlete of the week last season, she isn’t coming back this year.

Now that last year’s MVP is off the court, expect a more rounded offence.

“It’s going to be an entire team effort,” said women’s basketball coach Sandy Pothier. “We can’t rely on one person to take us to the promised land.”

Redhead quit the team along with four other players after a clash with Pothier. But the team has a game plan to fill the void Redhead left behind after she hung up her Rams gold and blue jersey in the summer, players say.

Rams third-year veteran guard Kaitlyn Taylor admits the team suffered a major loss after five players quit, but said the new prospects look promising.

“Since we lost five girls we are going to come back with a shorter roster but we got a really great group of girls that came in for tryouts,” Taylor said.

Prospects Lindsay Taylor, a transfer student from Lakehead University, and Nanna Pedersen, an exchange student from Denmark, are among the new players for the Rams. The team didn’t make the playoffs last season.

“She’ll play an important role,” Pothier said of the 5-10 Pedersen. “She’s going to be able to help us inside.”

Losing Redhead, Vanessa Smardenka, Julia Ounphongxay, Danielle Williams, and Josephine Agudo, means the Rams will have to re-evaluate their plays to make up for the loss of height.

Redhead, Smardenka and Williams are all 5-11 and were key players to both offensive and defensive rebound efforts.Combined, the three grabbed 250 rebounds last season, according to the Ontario University
Athletics website.

“Size is our downfall and we will have to make that up through quickness, grit and determination,” Rams captain, fifth-year guard Lisa Greig said. “Each member of the Rams this year brings those qualities to the table.”

Despite a shorter team, Taylor and Greig agreed that modifying their on-court strategies will lead to more wins this season.

“We will have to shoot more rather than looking into the post
first,” Greig said. “We will have to work together offensively, consistently
and constantly moving and cutting and working the ball around.”

But the key to the Rams’ success and securing a spot in the playoffs will be team cohesiveness, not just strengthening their game, Greig said.

“Most importantly, our success comes down to each member of the team buying into the creed, rules, and goals that we will be setting,” Greig said.

With the loss of veteran players and adding several rookies to the roster, the Rams will have to work hard to bring the team together, but Pothier is happy with the effort she saw during a recent tryout session.

“Everyone demonstrated a good work ethic and I’m excited about how the players are working together,” she said.

The five players that stepped down filed a complaint in August accusing Pothier of making discriminatory remarks about Redhead’s black heritage.

As a result of an ongoing investigation, Pothier would not comment on the matter. Redhead was only able to disclose vague details about why she
left the team.

“There is a specific incident that happened and there are a lot of things that made me decide that I couldn’t play anymore for this school given the fact Sandy was there,” Redhead said. “I didn’t think I could perform in the
way I could so I just left.”

Redhead’s love for basketball kept her playing after her father died last season, but she said she couldn’t remain on the team this year.

“It’s really hard for me now that I’m not playing. I love to be a part of the team but there were certain things I couldn’t put up with and as a human being I can take precautions to not get involved in a situation like that
again.”

The Rams host their three-day Rams Basketball Classic, starting Friday, Oct. 13, and begin the new season on Nov. 4, when they play the University of Toronto.