The first thing you notice when you walk into the gym at Cedar Valley Christian is that Shelby Hembera has gotten bigger and stronger.

She's still a lanky 6-footer, but her shoulders and arms have gotten noticeably stronger since last season.

The second thing you notice is that Cedar Valley Christian has more than the bare minimum of five players, which was the case at times the last two years.

A student from Brazil has joined the team. So has a student from South Korea. And so has a girl who moved here from Illinois.

"That puts us at seven," Coach Craig Foote said Tuesday at practice. "We're not used to having such a large number."

Foote was joking about having a "large" number, but at least he won't have to ask the manager to wear a uniform in case of an emergency this year.

Hembera has been the star for the Huskies the last two seasons as they made the transition from their old Christian conference to the IGHSAU and now the Tri-Rivers Conference. She averaged 16.0 points and 8.6 rebounds as a freshman, then raised those numbers to 22.0 points and 9.9 rebounds last year.

Hembera attended the Iowa Elite Camp at the University of Iowa this summer and attended a Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) camp at Central College in Pella. She's also worked out to get bigger and stronger.

"She's been doing some training and some lifting," Foote said. "She's just matured in every way.

"I think she's quicker, I think she's stronger, I think she's bigger. She's our team captain and team leader."

Cedar Valley Christian finished with a 4-17 record last season. Foote thinks the Huskies have taken another step forward by having seven players on the squad, and there's more help on the way next season. There are currently eight 8th-graders on Cedar Valley's middle school team.

"We're still dealing with small numbers, but I think in the future our numbers are going to increase," Foote said. "I hope that will be the case."