Two of the greatest players in team history are gone, two players who not only shattered school records, but took the program deeper into the NCAA Tournament-and thus the national consciousness-than ever before. What will the team do without them. Well, Coach Elliott has stockpiled the roster with talented youngsters, a couple of whom even saw major playing time in the tourney last year. But for those looking for a couple of new faces for the team, here’s a look at a few up-and-comers expected to make the jump this season:

Morgan Warburton, Guard, Sophomore

Warburton turned heads with her clutch play in last year’s postseason, and may already be poised to take over the go-to mantle from Kim Smith. The 5-foot-11 guard out of Price, Utah can do it all-shoot from the perimeter, play defense, handle the ball, even grab a few rebounds-and averaged 18.1 minutes per contest as a freshman, registering 6.0 points and 3.2 boards per game. Warburton, whom head coach Elaine Elliott once said was “as talented a guard as we have had,” will see even more action this year, and could even vie for all-conference honors.

Joh-Teena Filipe, Forward/Guard, Sophomore

Filipe rounded out the Utes’ seven-person rotation last year, earning major playing time in the NCAAs, which should get her ready for an increased role this fall. Another local product from Skyline High School-where she was named the 2005 Gatorade Player of the Year-Filipe is a physical player who can play multiple positions.

Jessica Perry, Forward, Junior

She has already gained plenty of playing experience during the last two years, starting the majority of games during her freshman and sophomore campaigns. But with Smith, Thorburn and Larsen gone, she is the top returning scorer, having registered 7.3 boards last year to go along with 5.0 boards and a team-best 30 blocked shots. Along with Warburton, Filipe and veteran guard Heidi Carlsen, Perry will likely have to pick up more of the scoring load as she begins her upperclassman career.

Kamil Krzaczynski