The Purdue Boilermakers lost coach Carolyn Peck and their top two players after winning the 1999 NCAA championship.

But is Purdue worried? Nah.

	Purdue's Katie Douglas is a Big Ten Player of the Year candidate.

The team returns with three starters from last season and a lot of confidence as it prepares to defend its title and try to extend a 32-game winning streak.

"This is a new year, new team and a new day," new coach Kristy Curry said. "We are going to do the best we can and build on last year's success."

The 33-year-old Curry inherits a program that has reached the NCAA tournament 10 times since 1989 and has won or shared the Big Ten championship five times since 1991.

But she'll be without Stephanie White-McCarty and Ukari Figgs, who left for the WNBA along with Peck. The team also lost backup guard Tiffany Young, who was killed in a car wreck in July.

The key to this season's team could be returning starter Katie Douglas, who's being counted on for leadership and points.

The 6-foot-1 junior guard-forward, the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year, averaged 14.1 points, led the team with 6.2 rebounds and had 3.5 assists a game as a sophomore. She started all 35 games as Purdue went 34-1, including 16-0 in the Big Ten.

"It's just an incredible honor to be listed as one of the top players in this conference," Douglas said. "I have to go out and help my team in any way I can."

Two other starters return: 6-4 center Camille Cooper, who averaged 9.7 points and nearly five rebounds; and 6-foot forward Michelle Duhart, 3.7 points and 5.7 rebounds.

Sophomore Kelly Komara, who averaged about 18 minutes and 5.3 points a game behind White-McCarty and Figgs in the backcourt, is back along with forwards Mackenzie Curless and Candi Crawford.

	“	I think everyone is being real foolish for not understanding the guts and glory of (Purdue's) program. ”
		— Penn State coach Rene Portland

Curry, a native of Olla, La., is making her debut as a college head coach after three years as an assistant at Louisiana Tech. Coaching seems to run in her family. Her grandfather, Major Sims, was a teacher and coach for 41 years; her father, Blake Sims, coached football in high school; and her mother, Ann Sims, coached girls basketball for 26 years.

"I was practically raised in a gym," she said. "I am not sure I had any other choice than to coach."

Louisiana Tech coach Leon Barmore credited Curry with helping to take the team to the last two Final Fours. The Boilermakers open the regular season at Dayton on Nov. 19. The most likely starting unit features Douglas and Komara in the backcourt, Cooper at center, Curless at small forward and Duhart at power forward.

The other returnees -- Danielle Bird, Monique Langston, Beth Lapaich and Connie Murdock -- spent most of last season on the bench.

Even with the loss of two star players, the Boilermakers should be high on the list of contenders for the Big Ten championship, Penn State coach Rene Portland said.

"I think everyone is being real foolish for not understanding the guts and glory of that program," Portland said. "Everyone is saying Stephanie and Ukari left -- and I certainly took my wounds from them -- but Douglas is the one that won more games for them.

"How do you stop Camille Cooper? Then, throw in Kelly Komara. They've changed coaches, but they have kids that know how to win games."