IOWA CITY - There is talent on the University of Iowa's 2008-09 women's basketball team.

Fresh from sharing the Big Ten regular-season championship with Ohio State last year, the Hawkeyes return first-team, all-Big Ten point guard Kristi Smith, Big Ten honorable mention forward Wendy Ausdemore and the Big Ten sixth woman award winner in Megan Skouby, a 6-foot-6 center.

But Iowa also lost five valuable seniors from its 21-11 squad, which lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Georgia, including its top three rebounders and best defensive player in Johanna Solverson, a second-team all-Big Ten pick.

Head coach Lisa Bluder, in her ninth season, is focusing on the positives.

"There's plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the year," Bluder said Wednesday at the Hawkeyes' annual media day. "Those are three very key positions. We return exceptional people at all positions."

Smith averaged a team-best 13.3 points per game last year, while Ausdemore led the Big Ten in 3-point shooting, canning 78 of 171.

Skouby averaged 9.2 points and 3.2 rebounds off the bench after starting 31 of her first 55 games in black and gold.

But there are also question marks.

Bluder will be turning to role players from her third 20-win team at Iowa - guard Kachine Alexander, forward Kelsey Cermak, forward JoAnn Hamlin and Grundy Center native Nicole VanderPol, also a forward - to become strong rebounders and defenders.

Solverson (5.1), Krista VandeVenter (5.0) and Jenee Graham (5.1) were Iowa's three leading rebounders last year.

"Other people are going to have to step up and assume those responsibilities," Bluder said. "We have the people that can assume those responsibilities, but now they're going to have to instead of talking about it."

Three of the four incoming freshman are also going to be asked to contribute, primarily point guard Kamille Wahlen of Crookston, Minn., guard-forward Hannah Draxten of Fergus Falls, Minn., and Iowa City High product Kelly Krei, a forward.

Wahlen and Draxten were Miss Minnesota finalists last year and played on the same AAU team, North Tartan Larson.

Wahlin was her team's MVP both her junior and senior seasons, while Draxten scored 2,364 career-points.

Krei was Iowa's Gatorade Girls' Player of the Year.

The fourth, guard Shante Jones, is playing catch-up after not arriving on campus until the fall semester, unlike the other three who spent the summer working out in Iowa City.

"We've got some young talent coming in, and they are all real athletic," Smith said. "We know coming into this year we need people to step up in a lot of areas for us to be as good of a team as we were last year."

Iowa will also have to play with a new identity in 2008-09 after sharing the league title.

A year ago, coming off their first losing season under Bluder (14-16), the Hawkeyes played with a chip on their shoulder.

"I hope they have more of the swagger versus the chip on the shoulder," Bluder said.

"We're definitely hungry for another Big Ten championship," VanderPol added. "We have a big target on our back, which we like. We do have a little bit of swagger because we have a Big Ten championship ring, and we want to go out with a bang, another championship ring."

The Hawkeyes aren't making it easy on themselves with their schedule. Twenty of the 29 teams Iowa will face played in the postseason last year.

The Hawkeyes have dates at Cameron Indoor Stadium to face Duke in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and at Allen Fieldhouse to face Kansas. Additionally, Iowa will face top-20 opponents Texas Tech and California in the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands.

And the Hawkeyes will host both Iowa State and Northern Iowa.

"It's a great schedule that will prepare us for the Big Ten season," Bluder said.

There is also a caveat hanging out there for the Hawkeyes.

Iowa has been selected to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, and if they make the field of 64, they would be playing at home in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

"We want to be able to play in front of our home fans," Ausdemore said. "We want to have a great senior season and are looking forward to it."

Iowa begins practice on Oct. 17 and opens its regular season Nov. 16 at home against Texas State.

Contact Jim Nelson at (319) 291-1521 or jim.nelson@wcfcourier.com