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For some teams, like Homer Drew and the Valparaiso men's basketball team, moving on from last season's 9-22 debacle is a welcome change. For others, such as Keith Freeman and the women's basketball team, changing the calendar means saying goodbye to one of the most talented classes in school history. 

Aimee Litka, Agnieszka Kulaga and Leah and Launa Hochstetler probably won't make it into the VU Hall of Fame and they didn't exactly rewrite the record books, but their contributions to the basketball program were measured far beyond points per game and wins and losses. 

In regards to the well-liked quartet, Freeman could go one of two ways in reacting to their departure. He could sit in his office and rewatch the greatest hits of the 2008-09 season, including wins over Purdue, Bowling Green and Florida State, or he could get right back to work and continue to build a program that will thrive regardless of the roster makeup.

Two years ago, when Tamra Braun, Carrie Myers and Betsy Rietema graduated, the team was in a similar situation. Three professionally-talented players were off the roster and someone had to pick up the pieces. Enter Litka, Kulaga and the Hochstetlers, who made the team their own as juniors. 

Now with that group gone, a new crop of players are left to lead the charge. It begins with ultra-talented freshman point guard Skyler Gick, who originally was set for Northwestern before a coaching change, and persistent recruiting by Freeman, led her to Valparaiso. 

Gick has been on campus all summer with the rest of her freshmen running mates, including fellow guard Laura Richards and post players Raegan Moore and Gina Lange. I've had the chance to watch these four play together a lot this summer and if we're still blogging four years from now, I won't be surprised if you see a similar posting about this quartet when they graduate in 2013. 

The talent level on the 2009-10 Crusaders certainly doesn't stop with the freshmen. Seniors Whitney Farris, Lauren Kenney and Sylwia Zabielewicz are all a year older and ready to lead the charge, especially Farris, who becomes the defacto leader of the team. Farris has been on campus all summer and is playing her role as the elder statesmen. Kenney and Zabielewicz are wildcards as injuries and foul trouble could minimize their effectiveness. At the same time, if Kenney plays like she did in the early season and Zabielewicz displays the toughness she had against Detroit, next year this year could be a special year. 

My final point, and the main reason for me sitting down at the computer today, is that Freeman continues to impress with his recruiting. Stop in the office during the summer and your lucky to find the man. There are no vacations when you work in college basketball, unless you count a 28-hour stop in Las Vegas, where you're jammed into a small high school gym with 1,200 AAU teams and every coach in the business looking for the next diamond in the rough.

All the red eyes, all the phone calls, all the lonesome meals on the road. Coaches will tell you it's worth it when you land the player. Freeman, like most coaches, does his work during the summer. When the school year starts, it's time for the season to start. That being said, it's no surprise that the Crusaders have landed two verbal commitments already. Earlier this summer, Mooresville's Liz Horton made her intentions clear that she was coming to Valparaiso and on Monday, Valpo High's Stefanie Lang told Freeman that she'd be moving across town next year. NCAA rules prohibit coaches from commenting on a player until a National Letter of Intent is signed, but I can tell you that I was driving through Florida on Monday and I'm fairly certain I heard screams of excitement coming 1,200 miles from the northwest.   

Sure, the talented seniors from last year's squad are gone, but if Freeman's recent recruiting haul is any indication, the players coming in will grow to become just as talented and the cycle of talented women's basketball in Valparaiso will continue into the next decade. -- Paul Oren