WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PREVIEW: SCRIPT UNKNOWN AS CSUN PLAYS MIX AND MATCH.

Byline: Ramona Shelburne Staff Writer

OK, here's the idea: Eleven strangers, picked to play on a basketball team and travel together for the next nine months. Season 12 of MTV's Real World? Try the Cal State Northridge women's basketball team of 2002-03.

This is the true story of a new coaching staff and new players who meet for the first time in August, and prepare to play Division I women's basketball by November.

``When I was getting information about colleges last year, the only thing I knew about Northridge was that they had 11 or 12 seniors. Everybody at my school wanted to come here because everyone figured they'd have a new team and be able to play right away,'' said Brezya Rhodes, who transferred to Northridge from San Jose City College.

The clean slate might be the best thing for Northridge after last year's team went 2-24 and saw its head coach fired before Christmas vacation.

New coach Tammy Holder was hired in April and brought in a coaching staff of former college and professional players, headlined by Niesa Johnson, a two-time All-American at the University of Alabama and six-year pro in the ABL and WNBA.

``Most of us don't know how we ended up here, and that's the magical, mystical thing about this group this year,'' said Holder, the former coach (Seattle Reign) and general manager (Richmond Rage) in the now-defunct ABL. ``Last year at this time, I had never even heard of Northridge. You could have offered me a million dollars to tell you what state it was in and I couldn't tell you.''

But can this makeshift team win? Considering it lost both exhibition games by an average of 18.5 points, don't expect miracles.

USC also might be fashioning itself as an underdog with one of the most ambitious nonconference schedules in the country. USC plays nine NCAA Tournament teams, including a road game against defending national-champion Connecticut, and a Dec. 14 date with preseason No. 2 Tennessee at the Forum.

``I told my team after we beat Northern Arizona (Friday), OK, you can relax now team, because that's the only game you'll be favored to win,'' USC coach Chris Gobrecht said.

``A lot of teams in this conference aren't willing to step up and challenge those teams and I'm a believer that it's such a plus if you win, it's worth the risk of losing.''

With All-Pac-10 juniors Ebony Hoffman (14.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg), and Aisha Hollans (17.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg), USC just might have the firepower to do that. If USC wins early, look for them to contend with Stanford and Washington for the Pac-10 crown.

UCLA's nonconference schedule looks like a vacation compared to USC's - literally. The Bruins open the season with trips to Hawaii and Las Vegas. With the return of fifth-year senior Michelle Greco of La Crescenta from repeated concussions, and additions of freshmen Julia Pitts and Nikki Blue, the Bruins should be much improved from last year's 9-20 team.

Pepperdine, the area's only NCAA Tournament team last season, returns All-WCC guard Damaris Hinjosa of Moorpark (13.6 ppg) but must replace All-WCC forwards Nadja Morgan and Sarah Richen. Hinjosa is one of the best guards on the West Coast, but had surgery on two bulging discs in her back this spring.

If she is fully recovered, the Waves will contend for the WCC title, and NCAA berth again this year. The Waves have a chance to make a name for themselves nationally with road games against Connecticut and Pac-10 champ Stanford.

Loyola Marymount lost all-time leading scorer Bryn Britton and will turn to senior guard Kate Murray (13.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and junior center Adrianne Slaughter (10.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg) to lead it after a disappointing first-round loss in the WCC tournament last year.