OKLAHOMA CITY (Nov. 9, 2017) – Oklahoma Christian women's basketball coach Stephanie Findley has been doing this a long time – she's entering her 33rd season at the OC helm – but she's not sure she's ever had a roster with as many new faces as the Lady Eagles will have for the 2017-18 season.

Ten of OC's 16 players are new this season, and while many of them have considerable promise, Findley accepts there will be growing pains as the newcomers mesh with a strong group of returning players – knowing that the result eventually could be a deep, talented squad that could defy outside expectations.

The first step toward that end will take place Friday in Wichita Falls, Texas, when the Lady Eagles will face Cameron in the season opener.

"I think ahead to the end of this season – can we be better?" Findley said. "I'm sure we will be. The hard thing for me is deciding how to play, what kind of style to play, especially with this many new ones. Some coaches have their system and make their players fit their system, but I like to look at my kids and try to decide what I think best fits them and their talent and skills. Sometimes it takes me a while to figure that out."

Findley's freshman class – including All-Staters Maddison Collyer, Katie Mayo, Ali Christie and Tyra Peck and an intriguing homeschool prospect in Delyssa Miller, among others – is perhaps her most ballyhooed since the mid-1990s. A junior-college transfer with previous NCAA Division II experience, Carolyne Lawley, also is new to the lineup, along with a former local prep standout, Kayden Carver, who's returning to basketball after a couple of years away.

"It is (a highly anticipated freshman class), with those two (Collyer and Mayo) being pretty high-profile from this area," Findley said, "but Delyssa looks like a sleeper, so to speak, and Tyra and Ali were All-Staters and in their own rights are very good players, too.

"They're going to play a lot, because there's so many of them. Right now, those freshmen are the bench, pretty much. I could start four of them, but I couldn't holler at them and tell them something I want to do and have it register (immediately) with them. Those are the things that take time. You want to be able to trust them enough that you can tell them something and they know what you're saying."

Somewhat lost in the excitement over the newcomers is a strong core of returnees who have earned Findley's trust – including preseason All-Heartland Conference selection Addy Clift, fellow guards Megan Shelton and Audrey Hayes and frontliners Hope Dawkins, Hannah Bentsen and Tori Connell. As the season begins, that group will be leaned on heavily for their knowledge, experience and talent.

Clift enters the season as the program's premier player. One of Division II's best outside shooters, the junior from Kiowa has seemingly unlimited range and is capable of seizing control of a game when she gets on a roll. At least early on, she'll be the focus of opposing teams' defensive plans, but Findley believes Clift has devised ways to combat those efforts.

"She has shown some good leadership," Findley said. "If people would just follow her actions – she's first here and last to leave and shooting a number of shots. She is very pleasant. She doesn't get too up or too down. I just like watching her play."

Shelton, mostly in the background as a freshman, has worked hard on her shot and will see an expanded role this season. The speedy Hayes does a lot of the dirty work for OC, forcing steals, diving on the floor for loose balls and crashing the boards for rebounds. Hayes is flexible enough that she can handle any of the guard or forward positions.

Pushing for playing time in the backcourt – and perhaps sooner than later – will be Collyer. The lightning-quick point guard from Harrah made The Oklahoman's All-State Super 5 team in 2017, making her only the third OC signee ever to receive that high honor.

Another All-Stater, Christie, led Fort Gibson to last season's Class 4A title game opposite Collyer's Harrah squad and is a strong rebounder from the backcourt. Still another freshman guard, Peck, earned All-State honors at Pond Creek-Hunter High School and always seems to be around the basketball while on the court. Both could also see time playing at the small forward position.

Two other freshmen, Kenna Kellam and Rumer Howell, will provide quality depth and should also have opportunities to see court time.

In the frontcourt, OC has a pair of players who are true centers: Lawley, a transfer from Murray State College, and Connell. Lawley began her college career at Northwestern Oklahoma State and provides a physical presence with strong post moves and good shooting range, while Connell – thought to be the tallest player in program history at 6-foot-4 – can be an imposing defensive presence.

Among the other returnees, Dawkins is the team's best shot blocker and can play both at the center and power forward positions, while Bentsen has made a big jump entering her junior season and could see more opportunity to impact the game with her rebounding and 3-point shooting ability.

Four other newcomers should be in the rotation as well. Mayo, from Newcastle, is long with a quick spin-and-shoot ability and a knack for blocking shots. Miller, the niece of former OC player Bill Pink, is long at 5-foot-11 and initially could see more time on the wing than inside, taking advantage of her long-range shot and driving ability.

Carver, returning to basketball after a two-year absence, was a prep standout at Piedmont High School and also is a strong perimeter player. Freshman Tiara Bradshaw is deceptively quick and could also be effective in spots, once she returns from injury.

Findley has set up a challenging schedule for this season, one that – for the first time – does not include a NAIA opponent. All 26 OC games will be against NCAA Division II foes.