Belief and willingness outweigh inexperience

Playing a sport at a Big Ten school is something some high school kids only dream about. For freshman Brigett Branson, a 6'2" forward from Bloomingdale, Ind., that dream came true.\n"I've always wanted to come here since I was a little girl," Branson said. "I'm from Indiana and I grew up knowing Indiana basketball."\nThis year's women's basketball team will include five freshman faces. Cyndi Valentin, Kali Kullberg, April Williams, Angela Hawkins and Branson are the five freshmen that coach Kathi Bennett said won't be strangers to seeing playing time. Bennett said they need the new girls and the talent they bring to the court.\n"Cyndi, as a freshman, finishes around the basket better than a lot of other players that have come in," Bennett said. "I really like what I see from her in that area and I think she'll be one of the freshman that will contribute."\nBennett said it's going to be up and down for Valentin until she knows what is expected from her. It will be a learning process, but if all goes well, Valentin will be a player that will definitely help the Hoosiers out on the court.\nValentin, a Bloomington native, chose to be a Hoosier to stay close to home. She said it just felt right for her to be here. Now that practice has gotten intense, Valentin has discovered college basketball is a lot different than what she experienced in high school.\nBranson said the biggest difference between high school and college play is the running.\n"In high school you get away with a lot of jogging and here it's sprint all the time," Branson said. "You have to be in a lot better shape than in high school."\nKullberg, Williams and Hawkins will also be looking for playing time this season as freshmen. Kullberg, a 5'8" guard from Mound, Minn., is a defensive-minded player with a number of athletic accomplishments from high school in basketball, volleyball and softball. \nA Covington, Tenn. native, Williams averaged 20 points and nine rebounds during her senior season at Covington High School. \nThe tallest Hoosier this season is Hawkins who considered Alabama, Providence and South Florida before choosing IU. Her rebounding and shot-blocking helped her to be considered as a national top-60 prospect. \nSenior Jill Hartman has noticed the freshmen and their abilities on the court. She said she also likes to see how they work together with the team. \n"They are doing really well," Hartman said. "A lot better than you would think going into it. There's a lot thrown at them."\nValentin and Branson both said the freshmen have great chemistry together. They all live on the same floor of their dorm and hang out together outside of practice. \n"This freshman class is great," Branson said. "Everyone is so open, so friendly. Instantly we clicked and became really tight and have a really good bond already."\nBonding off the court may help the overall chemistry of the team, but Bennett said the real inspiration should come from the upperclassmen.\n"They have to lead the way as far as making it known what it takes to get to the next level," Bennett said. "This group has great willingness and their coachability is awesome"