"We’re a very young team," Wall said. "Our upperclassmen are sophomores."
Wall, who has a 38-13 career coaching record with the Cobbers, will have one senior, two juniors, three sophomores, and six freshmen to work with.
Even so, the third-year head coach still feels good about her team.
"I think we’re a more athletic team this year," Wall said. "We can get up and down the court faster. That’s going to be one of our strengths."
Nichole Walla, a 6-foot-2 junior center from West Fargo, agrees.
"I think we run the floor a lot better than last year’s team," Walla said. "We have a lot of new girls that push us hard and keep us running."
Those "new girls" will either be the Cobbers’ biggest asset, or their Achilles’ heel.
Gone from last year’s team, which finished tied for third in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, are big-minute players Mindy Schirm, Holly Zollar, and Ann Mehrkens.
In their places will be Sarah Jacobson, a 5-10 freshman forward, and Sara Spears, a 5-11 freshman forward. Sara Kragerud, a 5-7 sophomore, and Steffi Backer, a 5-9 sophomore will be the starting guards.
"It’s not like we’re starting from scratch," Wall said. "We’ve been doing a lot of teaching this preseason and that’s been kind of different, but I’m optimistic."
Wall is hoping that a combination of frequent substitutions and the Cobbers’ schedule will help with the lack of experience.
"That’s (experience) going to come," Wall said. "We have a grueling schedule, so right off the bat it’s going to be an eye opener for those kids. Obviously come mid-January when we’re playing a lot of games, that will be building."
While Wall may be worried about her team’s lack of experience she doesn’t seem to have many doubts when it comes to the ability of her players.
"We can go 10 deep," Wall said. "In the long run that’s going to be one of our strengths. By playing 10 people I think we’re going to run some teams ragged."
Walla also feels that as the season wears on, the Cobbers will be a better team.
"I think the only way to make the team more experienced is to keep playing people," Walla said. "We’ve got to get those players in so that they can learn what it’s like to play in college."
Backer, who played high school basketball at Fargo South, thinks Concordia’s depth will be its greatest asset.
"Our team is really balanced," Backer said. "At any moment anyone can shine. I think right now it doesn’t matter who plays and who doesn’t."
Leadership doesn’t seem to be a big concern for the Cobbers.
Leah Sonstelie, who led the Cobbers in scoring last season with 14 points per game and was second on the team in rebounds with 5.9, is a natural leader as the team’s only senior.
"For years you prepare for your senior year," Sonstelie said. "I think it’s going to be a great opportunity to demonstrate leadership skills."
According to Wall, the 6-0 center from Fosston, Minn., will get plenty of help.
"We should get great leadership from Leah and Nichole and even from our sophomores," Wall said.
While it may be a challenge to match last year’s 18-7 record, the Cobbers are ready to begin playing.
"I’m really looking forward to this season," Sonstelie said. "I think we have a lot of potential. It’ll be good to play some games so we’ll be able to see where we are at."