The Irvine Valley College women’s basketball team is starting over this season.

The Lasers have no players back from their 2003-04 team that finished with a 16-10 record overall and made the Southern California Regional Playoffs.

Seven sophomores moved on and four freshmen didn’t return. Three of those freshmen were little-used reserve players.

“It is a completely brand new team,” said Irvine Valley Coach Julie Hanks, who begins her seventh year at the school. “We have 10 freshmen. That makes it difficult and exciting at the same time.”

Hanks said one thing in particular has helped make things go smoothly so far, though.

“I found out that a lot of the players competed on club basketball teams together,” she said. “Vanessa (Dominguez) and Kate (Jorgenson) and Melissa (Philp) and Laura (Murphy) played together on the same team in like sixth, seventh and eighth grades. And Vanessa and Tasha (Russell) were together at Mission Viejo High. So there is a lot of familiarity there.”

Three of the above mentioned players are starters for the Lasers, which started the season losing two of three games in the San Diego Mesa Tip-Off Tournament last weekend.

Jorgenson will run the team from the point guard position. The 5-4 Jorgenson was part of a very successful high school program at San Clemente that won South Coast League and CIF titles.

“She takes advantage of what the defense gives her,” Hanks said. “She is good at getting us into offense and finding open players. She is very unselfish, but when it is open she is going to take the shot and make the shot. She is tough too.”

Jorgenson made 4 of 5 three-pointers in a game last week for the Lasers.

Dominguez, a 5-9 forward out of Mission Viejo High, is expected to be one of Irvine Valley’s top scorers. She had 18 points in Irvine Valley’s opening game last weekend.

Dominguez was an all-South Coast League selection last year as a senior at Mission Viejo after averaging 13.3 points a game.

“She can do everything,” Hanks said. “She gets up and down the floor. She can take the ball to the hole. She is very, very aggressive. She never quits. I don’t know where she gets all of her energy.”

Murphy will play the small forward position. The 5-9 freshman out of Woodbridge High averaged 3.8 points and 1.4 rebounds a game last season as a senior.

She helped the Warriors to a Sea View League title.

“She can shoot from the outside,” Hanks said. “You can’t leave her open. As she becomes more aggressive she will be an even better player.”

Two other players from the city of Irvine join Murphy on the team.

Brittney Crawford, a 6-0 center out of Irvine High, anchors the Lasers in the post.

Crawford was an all-Sea View League player for the Vaqueros last season after averaging 11.8 points per game.

“We are going to get the ball in to her a lot,” Hanks said. “She can really score. She is just a very good player.”

Monique Newsome (University High) is in the mix for the starting shooting guard position. The 5-5 Newsome helped the Trojans to a Pacific Coast League title last year, averaging 8.1 points per game.

“She is a gamer,” Hanks said. “She can take it to the basket and is a solid defender. And she is so quick. “She has improved a lot over the summer. Monique is a much better player than she was last year in high school.”

Newsome is vying with Cassey Brick for a starting guard spot. Brick is a 5-5 guard out of Costa Mesa High. “She is a real three-point threat,” Hanks said.

Another outside threat for the Lasers is expected to be 5-8 forward Jessica Pascual. Pascual averaged 7.9 points at El Toro High last season.

“She is a pure shooter,” Hanks said.

Rounding out the squad are Philip, a 6-0 center out of Foothill High, Russell, a 5-7 forward out of Mission Viejo High, and Sanam Nejah, a 5-6 guard out of El Toro High.

“Melissa didn’t play her final two years in high school,” Hanks said. “But she has all kinds of skill. She can really play.

“Tasha is an animal on the boards. She works hard. She goes after loose balls and hustles all the time.”

Hustling and working hard are going to be traits shown by the whole team this season, according to Hanks.

“I think we will be fun to watch,” she said. “We are going to get after it. I think we will play a little faster this year. “We are going to use more full-court defense and try and create some more turnovers. I think we are quick enough to do that and get out on the break.”

Hanks said the biggest focus early on with the team will be to play together and continue to improve.

“We are young and are going to have games where we struggle,” she said. “We need to keep being positive. We have to stay with it and stay with it and stay with it.

“I think it is going to pay off. These kids want to learn and get better. We are going to do well this year and if all of these kids stay together I think we will do extremely well next year.”