By Pete Borello

This season promises to be a bumpy but exciting ride for the Foothill College women’s basketball team.

The Owls are short on experience, long on talent. It’s a combination that can take any coach on an emotional roller coaster, including Foothill’s Jody Craig.

One minute, the young Owls might amaze her with a clutch three-pointer or difficult layup in traffic. The next minute, Craig may be shaking her head in disgust over a costly turnover or another errant free throw.

Yet the seventh-year coach keeps it all in perspective.

“It’s not about winning or losing right now,” said Craig, whose squad has started 3-2. “I’m more interested in (the team) learning and gaining experience, and ultimately making the playoffs.”

It would be quite a surprise to Craig and her peers if Foothill wasn’t playing basketball in March; the latest coaches’ poll ranks the team 23rd in the state and ninth in Northern California.

Matching the success of a year ago — when the Owls made it all the way to the state quarterfinals — won’t be a slam dunk. Only three of the players who helped them compile a 26-10 record are still on the roster. And just one member of this trio, shooting guard Betsy Butterick, started on last year’s team.

Regardless, Craig can barely contain her excitement when talking about her squad, which opened the season by winning the Santa Barbara Tournament.

“It’s a joy to go to practice every day, and it’s been a couple of years since I’ve been able to say that,” she said. “I’ve got a smile on my face and I’m excited to coach.”

That’s because the Owls play the game just the way Craig wants: all-out.

“They’re aggressive and they work really hard,” the coach said. “There have been times when I’ve felt like telling them to tone it down.”

Craig’s optimism also stems from having loads of talent and tremendous depth — something last year’s eight-player team lacked. In three games this season, 12 of Foothill’s 13 players have scored.

While the Owls may lack a dominant scorer, they have plenty of players who can stick the ball in the cylinder. St. Francis High graduate Butterick leads the team in scoring, averaging 12.7 points a game, and is second in three-pointers (7).

Newcomer Gelater Fullwood, a transfer from San Jacinto, is next with a nine-point average. The 5-10 power forward — who started her high school career at Gunn High, then transferred to Berkeley High — is also among Foothill’s top rebounders.

Fullwood’s former Berkeley teammate, guard Danielle Milburn, leads the Owls with eight three-pointers. The guard is a transfer from Contra Costa.

Returning player Gina Magagnini, along with freshmen Maria Matus (out of St. Ignatius High) and Jen Montez (Aragon), have proven to be perimeter threats as well.

While Craig is pleased with her backcourt, she has concerns about a frontcourt that is especially small and inexperienced.

At 6 feet, freshmen Caitlin Giacomino (Half Moon Bay) and Ashley Thompson (Newark Memorial) are the team’s tallest players. Nicole Calderon, a 5-11 Prospect High grad, is the only returning post player.

“We’re lacking in post scoring right now,” Craig said. “and it’s one of the reasons we’re not executing down the stretch.”

Foothill also needs to improve from the foul line, where it missed 20 of 37 free throws in a recent overtime loss to Taft.

Craig expects her determined team to improve in both areas as the season progresses. And with more experience, the coach is confident the Owls have the potential to “go big time” this season.

“I haven’t seen a team yet that we can’t beat,” Craig said. “We can play with anybody and beat anybody. We’ve beat ourselves twice by making mistakes down the stretch that hurt us, but when we clean those things up, we’ll be fine.”

Foothill plays at Sierra (Rocklin) on Saturday night.