VIDEO PREVIEW: Wildwood Catholic girls basketball team will try to win as it rebuilds

WILDWOOD CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL

Mascot: Crusaders

Conference: Cape-Atlantic United

2016-17 Record: 22-5 (CAL United champions)

Head coach: Steve DiPatri (5^th season at WCHS, also coached 16 seasons at Sacred Heart; 436-114 career)

Assistant coaches: Fran St. John, Katie Caruso

Returning players: Seniors – Haley Brown (5-10 F), Maria Hernandez (5-9 F); Juniors – Erin Connelly (5-4 G), Jiana Fields (5-6 F).

Top newcomers: Junior – Natalie Babore (5-8 F); freshmen – Riley Kane (5-6 G), Lauren McCallion (5-10 F), Marianna Papazoglou (5-11 F/G), Alyia Gray-Rivera (5-4 G).

Strengths: Winning tradition, size, talented young players

Weaknesses: Inexperience

Outlook: Wildwood Catholic will be very young, starting as many as four freshmen, so there will be some growing pains. But Papazoglou is one of the top freshmen in South Jersey and the Crusaders should be talented enough to win many more games than they lose while also competing for their third straight CAL United title.

Season opener: Saturday vs. Penns Grove (at Deptford)

— video produced by Matt Ulmer; photos by Brian Cunniff

Wildwood Catholic High School girls basketball coach Steve DiPatri addresses his players at a recent practice.

Point forward Marianna Papazoglou of the Wildwood Catholic High School girls basketball team is considered to be one of the top freshmen in South Jersey.