Mariona Ortiz, who plays in the quarterfinals this Thursday, and Veronika Vorackova, who was eliminated a few days ago, are at the World Cup, while Nadia Fingall and Ornella Bankolé continue with their WNBA commitments. They are joined by Helena Oma, who is unavailable as she is with Spain preparing to compete in the 3x3 European Cup this coming weekend.
Five important absences in both the backcourt and the frontcourt leave a team with just seven first-team players available for the time being. As a result, Cantero's side will have the opportunity in Olite to give its younger players playing time and also to see its new additions, who arrived this summer, in action.
Carla Brito, Kristine Vitola, Aisha Sheppard and Yarden Garzon will all play their first minutes in the red-and-white jersey. The four new signings will therefore have the chance to take on a leading role from the outset and show some of the work completed during these first few weeks, while the younger players completing the first-team squad will be able to gain valuable experience against another Liga Femenina Endesa team.
FITTING THE NEW PIECES TOGETHER
The absences will force Cantero to reinvent himself in some positions and distribute minutes and responsibilities differently, but they also provide an opportunity to begin observing how the new pieces fit together and to try out new systems or ideas in a game scheduled to test the team's first contact and continue building the chemistry of a group that is still in the midst of being assembled.
The result, therefore, will be the least important factor in this first test against Inversus Gernika Bizkaia, who finished 10th last season. What will truly matter in Navarre will be seeing how the team responds after two and a half weeks of preparation, which concepts are beginning to translate onto the court and how much room for growth remains for a Casademont side that wants to compete for major objectives again this season.
