Much like its male counterpart, the Judson women's basketball team will be relying heavily on a team-first mentality that looks beyond individual statistics.

Head coach Jim Cook is so focused on the all-for-one philosophy that he wasn't even sure what his starting five would be just hours before Thursday's season opener against Viterbo University.

"I expect everybody to play their role on the team," said Cook. "I keep telling them that it's not your responsibility to score 20 points or grab 17 rebounds a night. Hopefully we can get to a point where everyone's roles just come together for us."

The Eagles have a good balance of youth and experience as they return their top three scorers from last season's 18-12 campaign. Aubrey Parsons, Kirstin Johns and Alicia Rovertoni figure to put up solid numbers again, as each are entering their senior seasons.

Judson also welcomes three freshmen forwards into the fold in Ima Petion, ShaRonda Huff and Rachel McBride. Cook has been pleased with their progress so far, but acknowledges that adjusting can take time when the games start to count.

"They've all done really well," Cook said. "Coming from high school into college, the game is a lot faster and they'll need to make that transition."

Judson will host its own tournament at the end of this month.

"I wouldn't say it's especially important to play well at home. We want to try to win every game we're in, regardless," Cook said. "But I know it's exciting for the girls to play in front of their friends and family. It's more important from the standpoint of making opponents understand that this is our house and we're not going to let you come into our place and push us around."

Cook has noticed unevenness about his team's play in its practices and scrimmages, and he is looking forward to getting into a routine.

"They have good spurts," Cook said. "But they're still getting used to playing with each other. We're struggling a little bit on the defensive end but they've also shown some good signs."

Judson finished second in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference and is eager to improve upon that finish.

"You always want to win the whole conference," said Cook. "We're going to settle for nothing less than a conference championship, but it's a very competitive this season. We're just going to do our best and see how things shake out this year."