Thanks to Charles Richards for this story

HILLSBORO -- The Hill College Lady Rebels will look to a couple of Australians, amongothers, to get back to the regional basketball tournament this year.

Newcomers to this season's team include Carli Norman and Giulia DiNunzio from Victoria, Australia, and transfer Dysyan Malone, who averaged 13.7 points and 8.0 rebounds at Allen Community College in Kansas.

The Lady Rebels have three returning lettermen from last year's team that went 10-20 10-20 overall and 5-11 in league play, including guard Ashley Villarreal from El Paso, who missed last season with an injury after starting on the 2008-2009 team.

Also back are guard Jasmine White of Round Rock and forward Kenyadah Hopkins of Newark, N.J.

"It's a great group of kids that should only get better as the year goes on," third-year Head Coach Aaron Kallhoff said.

"DiNunzio is very athletic and a great shooter while Norman has a high basketball IQ and is a great passer. Both of them are great basketball players and excellent in the classroom, which makes them a huge asset to Hill College."

Hill College plays in the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference, which makes up half of Region V.

The teams that will compete for the conference crown include Cisco College, which finished fourth last season; Weatherford College, which missed the postseason for the first time in more than 30 years; and Grayson County, which finished last in the conference last season but returns key members from that team.

For junior colleges, the 2010-2011 basketball season begins Monday. Hill College opens with a home game Monday against Blinn College.

(For more information, go to the Hill College website at http://www.hillcollege.edu/athletics/.