While the Northern State women’s basketball team might be a bit short on experience, the Wolves figure to be long on talent.

The squad does not have a senior list on this year’s roster, but does have a handful of returning players to blend with newcomers who will likely make a major impact.

“In 32 years of coaching, whether it be college or high school, this is the youngest squad I’ve ever had,” said Northern coach Paula Krueger.

The biggest challenge will be meshing everyone together and figuring out which pieces of the puzzle fit where.

“While we have youth, we have talent, so melding that youth and that talent together is probably going to be my greatest challenge, the patience to do that,” Krueger said. “In 32 years I’m still learning, and patience is one of those things that I’m learning.”

Familiar names returning to the squad include Regan Rus, Mackenzie Carrier, Taylor Tool, Lily Klein, and Carli Kuyper.

“We’ve got several back,” Krueger said. “We’re not as young as we maybe look on paper, because Carli and Lily both redshirted.”

While the Wolves lost some significant players to graduation, they do have some players who made significant contributions a year ago.

“Regan played a lot of games as a freshman,” Krueger said, “and Taylor started every game that we played.”

Makenzie Carrier also logged major minutes at the point guard spot last season.

Then there are players who are new to the program, but will probably play prominent roles this campaign, like Addison Neuendorf and Brooke Jensen.

Neuendorf was a standout player at Hamlin, where she played in numerous state tournaments, including on the 2024 Class A state championship squad.

“Addie has a really good nose for the game. She’s a little bit of a student. She watches the film,” Krueger said. “She picks things apart, and she’s going to get coached a little bit harder because she’s at that point guard spot, so she’s going to spend a little bit more time with PK than anybody else does. In the long run that’s going to be beneficial.”

Jensen, a transfer from the University of South Dakota, is the daughter of former standout Becky Flynn, who starred at Wakonda and later at Creighton.

Freshman Maddy Blaylark out of Minneapolis had a productive game during an exhibition recently.

“Maddy played very very, well. She’s playing a little bit of point guard right now because Mak is out,” Krueger said. “We got a chance to put her on the floor with Addie at the same time, let her play a little bit of two guard, which is more her natural spot. She’s a hooper. You know it when you see it.”

The Wolves have had a pair of exhibition games and open the season on Friday at a two-day event this weekend in Kearney, Neb.

“We got all 12 kids an opportunity to be on the floor and see what they bring. It’s kind of a melting pot right now and I’m still trying to figure out how to melt them all together, who fits where and how you do it,” Krueger said. “At one point we had four kids on the floor who can all play a three or a four with one point guard.”

Krueger likes the competitive spirit and work ethic of this year’s team, now it’s just a matter of figuring out roles and finding reliable outside shooters.

“We’ve got solid point guard play, we’ve got solid post play, now it’s who are those shooters that can space the floor for us a little bit and where are they going to fit?” Krueger said. “Defensively, what’s going to look best for us, but the toughness piece and the competitiveness, this group has that in spades. So now it’s going to come down to how we put it together?”

Krueger said she doesn’t talk much about goals, but the team does have one standard that never changes, regardless of the season or who is on the team, and that’s to make the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference postseason tournament.

“We talk about standards and we have one standard right now in the program and then we build along that standard,” Krueger said. “Our standard is to make the conference tournament, and then from there we have expectations. We want to make it to Sioux Falls, we want to play a (first-round) game at home, those kinds of things that are built in there.”

The season will be a journey with the ultimate desired destination of reaching the NSIC final eight at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls.

“They aren’t really goals, they’re standards with an expectation of how we get there coming secondary,” Krueger said. “The moments change, but our standard doesn’t it, and that’s to do the right thing and put ourselves in a situation to be playing at the end of the year.”