The women’s Saluki basketball team will be making line up changes in the fall due to the departure of 1995 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman and Newcomer of the Year, Cari Hassell.

SIUC women’s basketball coach Cindy Scott said Hassell, who is planning to have a child, has gone back to her home in Nashville, Tenn., where she hopes to continue her schooling and hoop career at Tennessee State University.

She was a very, very talented freshman and will be sorely missed, Scott said. But that happens in athletics and it gives a chance for others to show what they can do.

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Last season, Hassell started 22 of 28 games, boosting SIUC to a 19-9 record. She finished second on the Salukis in scoring (13.6 ppg), while posting school records for three pointers made (79) and attempts (269).

She scored in double digits in 20 games, was the team’s point leader 10 times, and converted at least one three pointer in every contest.

Scott said it is too early to tell who will fill Hassell’s role but expects contributions regardless.

We have a lot of good players and it’ll open up opportunities for other people, Scott said.

Senior guard Nikki Gilmore, a radio/television major from St.Louis, said the team will miss the contributions of a complete player.

She was a well rounded player.

She could score, play defense and rebound, Gilmore said.

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We’ll absolutely miss her but we’re still a decent team.

As part of last year’s incoming class, Hassell was described as a leader by others in the freshman rank.

Beth Hasheider, a senior in math education from Okawville, said Hassell was the type of player to look up to.

She was a very vocal leader, a lot of others looked toward her, Hasheider said. I think she’ll be missed.

But Hasheider expects her teammates to step up their play to fill the void left by Hassell.

You can’t replace a great shooter like her, but everyone will step up to compensate her loss. Hasheider said.

We missed Rocky Ransom to an injury last year and everyone else stepped up their game.

We’ve enough good players who want to win to put a quality team on the ball court next year.

Hassell was unavailable for comment at press time.