SAN ANGELO – Before the start of Midnight Madness on Tuesday at 10:45 p.m., take some time to get to know Angelo State's women's basketball team. The Belles head coach Cayla Petree and her cast of players will start official team practice on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

The Belles finished last season at 14-13 overall and went 7-9 in the Lone Star Conference. ASU did make the LSC tournament for the fourth-straight year. Fast forward to August of 2014 and Petree hired Josip Maric as her assistant coach. Only three returners are back from last year's squad. Ashlynn Graham, Michelle Rosewell and Amanda Weaver provide experience as the trio played in 69 games and started 26.  Petree has brought in 16 new players (10 transfers, six freshmen) that will be anxious to start practice.

"We have a lot of new faces," Petree said. "There will be a different attitude on the floor this year. These kids are hungry and have something to prove. I like our team personality and I think our fans will too."

Returners
Rosewell worked her way into the starting point guard position last year and made 15 starts as a junior. She scored 3.2 points but excelled in creating for other teammates as she dished out 68 assists. Weaver was a threat from the three-point line the entire season. She made 60 three's during the season including seven 3-pointers against Texas A&M-Kingsville which is tied for third most in a single game. The junior scored 9.3 points per game and led the team from behind the arc hitting 42.9-percent. Graham saw action in 15 games and earned a start against Texas A&M-Kingsville. She scored a season high five points three times during the season. The sophomore used her quickness last season and recorded 11 assists.

Newcomers

The 16 newcomers have one senior, eight juniors, one sophomore and six freshmen.

The lone senior newcomer is Jackie Patterson, a transfer from Texas Tech played in 31 games and had three starts for the Red Raiders. She scored a season high 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against New Orleans and was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Prior to Texas Tech, Patterson was a two-time NJCAA All-American at Hutchinson Community College.  During her two-year career she scored 16.1 points per game and led HCC to the national championship game.

Jasmine Patterson, twin sister of Jackie, sat out last season after playing two seasons at Hutchinson Junior College. The 6'-0" junior forward scored 12.9 points per game and led HCC to the national semifinals.

Petree was able to add another transfer from Texas Tech in Jasmine Caston. The 5'-10" sophomore forward played in 30 games for the Red Raiders and scored 5.0 points per game in 18.2 minutes. In high school at Plano East, Caston averaged 19.0 points per game as a senior and was a first team all-district selection.

Lexi Murphy is one of seven newcomers from outside the state of Texas. The 5'-8" junior guard from Nebraska scored 9.7 points last year at Northeast Community College. and made 31.8-percent from the 3-point line. Keva Raiford is a 5'-7" junior guard from St. Louis, Mo., played at Lamar Community College. She scored 8.2 points per game in her only season at Lamar.

Allison Gordon and Jordan Whitaker are two more from outside of Texas. Gordon is a 5'-11" junior forward from Chandler, Ariz., and played two years at South Mountain Community College scoring 5.9 points per game. She will redshirt due to transfer rules .Whitaker is a 5'-7" junior guard from Chicago, Ill., and played averaged 13.0 points per game while dishing out 5.0 assists at Malcom X College.

Two west Texas kids will be playing close to home for the Belles. Elaine Herrera is a 5'-7" junior guard from Midland and returns to Texas after spending the last two seasons at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Mo. She finished her sophomore season by hitting 47-percent of 3-pointers which ranked her at No. 7 in the NJCAA. Shanna Taylor is another west Texas kid. The 5'-8" junior guard from Odessa played in 28 games last season for Odessa College and scored 2.7 points per game while hitting 75-percent from the free throw line.

One member of the Belles played junior college ball in Midland but is originally from Carolina, Puerto Rico. Diamalises Rivera a 6'-0" junior forward is a member of the Puerto Rico national team and averaged 10.1 points per game and 6.5 rebounds last season at Midland College.

Petree was able to add from the high school ranks and has six talented freshmen.

The duo of Shauna Coleman and KeAnna Kelly are the most decorated coming out of high school. Coleman is a 6'-0" freshman forward from Lipan. She was named all-state three times earned offense and defensive district player of the year. Coleman scored 16.5 points per game in high school and was an all-region pick all four years of her career. Kelly is a 5'-7" guard from Mansfield Summitt. She was an all-state and all-region selection after averaging 14.0 points per game as a senior. She scored a season-high 20 points against Red Oak and was selected as the Dallas Morning News Player of the Week.

Petree found two guards from out of the state of Texas that should provide depth. Kietta Saunders is a 5'-9" guard from Chicago, Ill while Daley Gay is a 5'-9" guard from Hastings, Okla. Saunders scored 12.7 points per game and averaged 5.6 assists at St. Joseph while helping led her team to the 2011 and 2012 regional championship and was named all-conference as a senior. Gay was an honorable mention all-state selection as a senior after scoring 10.0 points per game and 2.2 assists at Waurika High.

Two more forwards were added to complete the freshman class. Alexandria Box is a 6'-0" forward from Houston and was a member of the 2014 district champions while at Clear Brook. Destiny Wade is a 6'-0" forward from Sulphur Springs. She was a two-time all-district selection while averaging 16.0 points and 12.0 rebounds a game. Wade will redshirt this season due to an injury.

The Belles begin practice on Wednesday, Oct. 15 in preparation for their first game on Friday, Nov. 11 against St. Mary's at the Tarleton State Invitational.