In head coach Jolette Law’s second year with the women’s basketball team, she knows the preseason is going to be about remolding the team and getting everyone on the same page with her style of play.

“We’re going to be relentless,” Law said. “We’re going to be conditioned and up tempo. We’re going to press, and I am going to throw a lot of schemes at them early on. We’re young, but these kids are hungry.”

With so many new faces around, the team has implemented a buddy system to get everyone acquainted.

“Each upperclassman has a freshman that we call little sisters,” said junior Jenna Smith whose workouts last season helped the Illini defeat Purdue 63-55. “I have Fabiola (Josil). So if she needs anything, she calls me. I’ll show them around, cook for them and play pick-up (games) with them. We want to show them how we carry ourselves and make sure they are representing the team the right way.”

Tuesday marked the first day the team was allowed to officially workout with the coaching staff. Law said the team is allowed six hours a week with the strength and conditioning staff, and two hours a week with the coaches for individual workouts.

“I want to introduce my language to these freshmen,” Law said. “I want to utilize the two hours to get them familiar with the ball and improve their individual skills so we can build up as a whole. I’ll spend an hour with my point guards, an hour with my wings and an hour with my post. Then by the end of the month, I want to be able to put it all together and really shake things up.”

Law is encouraged when she sits in her office late at night because she can hear balls bouncing and shooting machines running downstairs at the Ubben Basketball Complex.

For the Illini, the summer was not just about relaxing. Most players were on campus conducting their own strength and conditioning workouts.

“We would all run together, do track workouts, court workouts, play pick-up, do shooting drills and we would have upperclassmen-lowerclassmen challenges,” Smith said. “We had fun with it, but made it hard so the (new players) understand what we are all about.”

With such a long season ahead of them, Smith stressed the importance of the team staying focused.

“You might be tired and not want to work out, but it’s not about you, it’s about the team,” Smith said. “Each player should want to be as strong as everyone else. Like coach said to us, we want to be ten strong. That should be enough motivation.”