Cedar Rapids Washington Coach Frank Howell is paying closer attention to women's college basketball these days.

Four of the girls who played for the Warriors last season are now freshmen on college basketball teams with Tia Dawson at Dartmouth, Ashley Piper at Colorado Christian, Alissa Oney at Maryville and Janay Pritchett at Iowa Wesleyan.

They were four of the reasons the Warriors reached the Class 4A state tournament last season and finished with a 19-4 record, but the cupboard is not bare at Washington. Howell routinely plays as many girls as he can each year, to create depth and make sure he has experienced players the next season.

"We sure try to," he said. "Maybe if we had only six kids who could play, maybe we wouldn't go much deeper than that. We try to get a lot of kids involved. That way you don't get decimated."

Jazz Royster, Madison Kramer, Tasha Roundtree and Abbey Herb all played against Iowa City West in the state tournament last season and are back this year. Royster averaged nine points and five rebounds to lead the veterans.

Brooke Foreman and Kelli Klaus also gained valuable experience, while Callie Stone and Lauren Goodlove also saw action. "They at least got exposed to it a little bit, so it won't be completely new territory," Howell noted.

Dawson, an all-state center, started for Dartmouth in its first game of the season against Kansas State and played 30 minutes. Piper, Oney and Pritchett also are playing for their teams as true freshmen.

"I'm very proud of those four kids," Howell said.

Howell thinks he can put another winning team together. "I think we have some talented kids," he said. "Once they get into more game situations I think they can be just fine."

Royster started 20 games last season and is the top returning player, a 5-foot-10 senior who's capable of playing inside and outside.

"She's really been a fun kid to have around," Howell said. "There's nobody she's ever afraid of. It doesn't matter how big the kid is that we're playing against or how many inches she's giving up.

"She goes strong to the basket and she's going to be very physical. Her skill set has gotten better, too."

Klaus, a 6-foot-1 center, appeared in 17 games last season and made modest contributions with 17 points and 19 rebounds, but she's signed to play college basketball at Colorado Christian and could become an important player for the Warriors.

"She really has made tremendous strides since a year ago," Howell said. "She has a tremendous upside. I think she has a tremendous work ethic, too.

"She's definitely going to help us. She'll get on the floor, she'll make contributions for us."

As usual, Howell plans to play a lot of people and is not worried about his starting lineup.

"Who starts for us is really not that big of a deal," he said. "A lot of kids are going to get on the floor and get an opportunity."