But Hoffman hit on an array of recruiting targets in the offseason — that’s been evident in preseason practice — and no one in the program will be satisfied with anything less than an upper-tier finish in the league.
“In my mind, we’d better be playing in Indy in March,” the third-year coach said.
The league tourney semifinals and finals are at Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, but teams have to survive the first two rounds to get there.
“We’d better be one of the final four teams in our league. I don’t care where they pick us now. It’s about where we end up. And I think that’s a very reasonable goal to expect this group to be there, to compete and, hopefully, win,” she said.
Hoffman knows her optimism might generate some snickers around the league, but the jump she’s seen from her players in practice has led to high expectations.
And she’s not the only one who believes a top-four finish is attainable.
“I asked some of the upperclassmen what their goals were this year, and most of them said, ‘Win a Horizon League championship’ or ‘Be playing in Indy,’” she said.
“I was pleased they have those same goals. And we’re teaching some of the (practice) habits to make sure we’ll be there.”
For the first time in her tenure, Hoffman’s roster will be made up entirely of players she’s recruited. And while the Raiders may not have answered all their deficiencies, practices have been intense.
There’s also an esprit de corps the within the team that wasn’t there the first two years.
“This group has responded to coaching probably better than any group I’ve had as far as, you tell them one thing to fix, and they go out and fix it,” Hoffman said.
“That’s allowed us to move along really quickly, and I feel like we’re miles ahead than at this time last year.”
Battles are still being waged for starting spots, but junior guard Kacee Baumhower, the leading returning scorer with a 9.4 average, appears to have locked down one spot.
Cara VanKempen, a 6-foot-1 fifth-year player who is the team’s leading returning rebounder at 3.2 per game, has moved to guard and brings size to the perimeter.
And Centerville product Alexis Hutchison, a four-year starter at Division-II Malone and three-time all-conference pick, looks as if she’ll get the first crack at point guard.
“Just having some returners has been huge, and they’ve really set the foundation for who we’re going to be this year,” Hoffman said.
“And some of the transfers have come in and are confident leading vocally. They’ve come from winning programs and have brought a lot of maturity to our program.”
The Raiders have a home exhibition against Tiffin at 8 p.m., Nov. 1.
Their first game is at Southern Indiana on Nov. 6, and they play at Michigan State on Nov. 12.
Their first game at the Nutter Center is against Mount Vernon Nazarene at 4 p.m., Nov. 14.
“I feel like we’ve amped up everything at practice the last couple weeks. We’re getting prepared to play. It’s right around the corner. We’re trying to refine everything and make sure there’s clarity with what we’re doing,” Hoffman said.
“I’m really excited about the progress we’ve made and how this group is coming along. We’re ready to put it to the test against somebody else.”
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