Last year, the Southwestern University Pirates women's basketball team suffered an identity crisis at times despite playing in a structured system predicated on pounding the ball inside with scripted precision.

Two key players opening the season recovering from injuries forced the Pirates to build its team in training camp without the services of Tori Carraway and a fully healthy Noel Pratts. When the duo returned,  it was to a team set in new ways.

Compounding matters was navigating all this while turning the keys to the offense to a first year point guard.

Head Coach Greta Grothe managed to put the Pirates on track by tweaking her lineups midway through the season, moving Carraway to the bench where she could resume a star role off the bench. The move gave the Pirates two distinct lineups with different styles and spurred a late-season run to the SCAC Tournament.

This year, the Pirates enter the year with far fewer questions, entering the season at full health with three senior leaders. And with their familiarity comes more freedom.

Cecily Woolfolk took over as the hub of the Pirates' offense last year and provided as much per-minute punch as anyone in the conference, averaging 14.5 points in 23.8 minutes per game. At times, only injuries seemed to slow her, limiting the amount of time she could be on the court.

With a summer to prepare as the Pirates' focal point, Woolfolk has embraced the challenge.

"She's in the best shape she's been in since she's been here," Grothe said. "Seeing her play, she's slowed the game down in her mind. She knows when and where the double teams are coming from, when to kick it out, and when to spin and take it to the rim. I think she's going to have a bright year."

Woolfolk's combination of strength and touch give the Pirates a dependable source of scoring across multiple lineup combinations. At times last year, the Pirates' lack of shooting forced Woolfolk to create space in crowds, which she remains more than capable of even if it's far from ideal.

This season, Southwestern hopes to adapt by creating a system that accentuates her abilities without being over-reliant on them.

Gone are the double post sets in favor of four-out and even five-out alignments designed to open dribble penetration for other sources of offense.

That means senior Naomi Brown splitting minutes with Woolfolk instead of at times pairing with her, anchoring the second unit's defense.

"Naomi is awesome. She holds everyone accountable and always does the right things," Grothe said. "She's going to be playing a lot of minutes this year. If she can finish at the rim, she's going to be a great sixth man."

Healthy again, Noel Pratts has moved up to the power forward position, where her speed and handle create matchup issues for other front court players on offense while leaning into her defensive versatility.

"Playing Noel at the four gives us a chance to pull opponents out and take them off the dribble," Grothe said. "And defensively, without many traditional post scorers in the conference, she's someone who can potentially guard all five positions on the court."

That versatility extends to Zhazze Brown, a 5-foot-9 Swiss Army Knife senior team captain with long arms and steady hands. Though not a pure shooter, Brown was the Pirate most likely to hit the big shot, commanding defense's respect. Though not a pure point guard, Brown was who Grothe gave the offense to when the moment seemed too much for her first year point guards.

"She's a gamer. She works hard, makes the right plays, and just steps up in big games," Grothe said. "She can score the ball and she's doing a good job of defending and boxing out. She's putting it all together and is a complete player."

With three upperclassmen in the starting lineup, the Pirates are moving away from some of their structure in favor of a more motion-oriented offense, where movement and multiple playmakers can offset a lack of spacing, creating lanes where there were none.

Though motion offense can decentralize an attack, it must still be guided by someone. That responsibility falls to Cydnee Lester, who assumed the starting point guard role midway through last season.

"She's a really good passer who can get the ball up the floor quickly," Grothe said. "She can see the open player and hit them in stride, which is exactly what we need from her."

Last year, especially early, Lester seemed so preoccupied with what everyone else could do at the collegiate level she'd lose sight of her own capabilities. Late clock situations where instincts overrode thought offered a reminder you could almost see play out in her body language, crying out: "I am faster than the person in front of me."

With a year of experience, the Pirates are looking for a leap from their young playmaker.

"I think she's taking control a little more. As a point guard, you have to be able to control the entire offense," Grothe said. "You need to be able to speak up. I think she's starting to find her voice and her teammates are trusting her. We go as far as our point guards take us."

Lester isn't the only Pirate expected to take a leap this year. With another year of experience, juniors Chloe Drum and Erin Toro are expected to function as the glue that binds many of the Southwestern lineups.

"They're finally finding their roles," Grothe said. "They're finally comfortable in the offense, letting their talent shine through."

If the upperclassmen are the engine that will drive the Pirates this season, the newcomers will need to be the oil that makes it all run smoothly.

Sophomore Taylor Carney, a 6-foot stretch big, will be counted on provide spacing for the Pirates' interior attack.

"She has a quick release that's gotten even faster," Grothe said. "And she's long, so defensively she knows how to position herself and that makes it hard to get around her."

The coaching staff also hopes to incorporate first year Emma Lewis into the offense to provide more shooting, if she can grasp the offense fast enough. And first year wing Reece Sandercock provides size and skill at 5-foot-10 with the ability to get to the rim while Maggie Green-Wallace adds toughness on the block.

"The conference looks good from top to bottom," Grothe said. "We need to be able to guard, rebound, and limit our turnovers to give ourselves an opportunity to have more possessions than the other team. We're not always the best shooting team, so if we can do those other things we'll be fine."

With the functional changes to a familiar roster, the Pirates figure to improve as the season goes along. But with an experienced core, the Pirates know who they are, which should be enough to be a force in the SCAC.