It was about 10 minutes into her press conference when C. Vivian Stringer subconsciously switched from cordial question-answerer to locker-room coach.
“Everybody will enjoy hunting us,” Stringer said. “We are going to be the hunted, which is a different position than being the hunter. So many teams for so many years have been beaten — Rutgers has the second-longest streak of playing in the Sweet Sixteen of all the teams in the country. If you think that any of the schools, including the Big East schools, are happy with that — they aren’t.”
The statement was clear: the rest of women’s college basketball sees Rutgers as the gazelle with the gimpy leg.
For the first time in the last couple of years, Stringer’s team is entering a season with modest expectations. Rutgers lost three big parts from its Sweet Sixteen team a year ago, including one piece that should be with them this season.
Guard Epiphanny Prince, who led the team in scoring last season at 19.5 points per game, is no longer a Scarlet Knight. During the offseason, the junior decided to take her talents overseas, turning professional and taking one of Rutgers’ biggest pieces away from an already depleted team.
“Definitely it was a shock,” said redshirt sophomore guard Khadijah Rushdan. “Last year, when the shot clock was going down, you knew who the ball was going to go to. It’s different without her being here. It’s a different chemistry, but it’s a good chemistry. But everybody knows and has accepted the fact that she’s gone and everybody has a role to play.”
That seems to be the prevalent theme for this Rutgers team: filling the roles of those lost from last year.
With Prince’s departure, Rushdan will be counted on to produce more on offense. But that’s not the only area where last year’s talent will need to be replaced.
Also gone is one of the program’s best centers in its history in Kia Vaughn, now playing for the WNBA’s New York Liberty. Last year’s starting forward Heather Zurich also graduated. Senior Rashidat Junaid will have to step in for Vaughn after three years of being her apprentice, which is a challenge she’s been looking forward to.
“I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play against Kia for years now and I’ve learned a lot from her,” Junaid said. “I think I’m pretty much prepared. But I do know that I have a lot on my shoulders.”
But that means there’s still plenty of starting inexperience on Rutgers’ roster. Along with Junaid and fellow seniors Myia McCurdy and Brittany Ray, the Scarlet Knights will welcome three freshmen to the rotation, along with heralded returning sophomores April Sykes, Nikki Speed and Chelsey Lee.
“I trust by the time we do step up to the plate to play, that we will be mentally tough,” Stringer said. “When I see a team member drop their head when I say something to them, then I am upset because I know that she is not tough enough to get it done. When you go to hostile crowds against teams who enjoy blowing you out and laughing, there is a different kind of mentality.”
That’s part of the reason why Stringer has pushed her team tougher than perhaps she might have in years past — she knows they’ll have to be as ready as possible for this season. Rutgers will once again play a tough schedule, beginning with its season-opener on Nov. 15 against No. 2 Stanford.
Pass that test and maybe Rutgers goes from being the hunted, back to being the hunter. But Stringer knows that won’t come easy.
“Everybody will be looking to get their hits,” she said. “They will try to knock us out. If we don’t understand that, then we are going to wake up with a lot of bruises and a lot of people will be able to get on us — for old and new.”
Brendan Prunty may be reached at bprunty@starledger.com