CSUB WOMEN

“I’ve played a lot of college games,” Easley said, “so I want to try to bring a calmness on the floor, because it can get really energetic and sped-up sometimes.”

Austin will be key in aiding one of McCall’s priorities this year: rebounding.

Despite the efforts of Saxon and Eggleston, CSUB had the worst rebounding margin per game in the Big West at -3.2, 257th out of 336 teams nationwide. 6-foot-3 freshman forward Hennie van Schaik, who has represented the Netherlands internationally, may also help in this regard.

East Carolina transfer Kayla Morris, a 6-foot-2 forward who said she’ll contribute wherever she’s needed, is also on the roster and is in the process of getting healthy.

But most new acquisitions this year are in the backcourt, where CSUB adds first-year guards Tatyanna Clayburne (who started at point guard in Friday’s exhibition game), Garrisen Freeman and Simone Johnson to supplement Green and Easley.

Easley may like to keep calm, but Austin, who expects the team to take a “huge step forward” this year, said she welcomes the energy from the newcomers, joking that it’s exhausting being an older player on the team.

“They’re loud, they’re rowdy,” she said, “and I think that definitely helps us. I don’t know, being a vet sometimes, I’m kind of drained, but they come right in, they’re like ‘Let’s go, let’s pick it up!’”

She added that being a team leader is a reciprocal relationship: “They teach me things that I may have forgotten or don’t know. It’s just a lot of communication.”

Another key source of enthusiasm for the Roadrunners is the return of fans to the Icardo Center, where they’ll see Big West basketball in person for the first time.

McCall said they can serve as a “sixth man.” Green, one of two local players alongside Jasmin Dixon, said she loves having friends and family in the stands.

“I’d say what I’m looking forward to the most is being able to interact with the community,” Green said, “have all of our loyal fans back out, and just be able to give people the entertainment that they used to come to all the time.”

As the starting point guard, Green averaged the most minutes per game of any player on the team last year. She said that the team now has more of a feel for Big West competition.

They’ll have two months of play before it starts up again with a road game at Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 30.

In the meantime, they’ll face a wide-ranging non-conference schedule featuring road games at Pac12 foes Oregon State and UCLA, in which they’ll hope for another Cal-style victory.

The Roadrunners open the year against non-NCAA Bethesda Tuesday night at the Icardo Center.