AUBURN — The higher the ceiling, the stronger the leap you can take off the top step.

Such is the season ahead for the Central Maine Community College women’s basketball team.

“We have 14 kids on the team this year,” coach Mike Bridges said, “and we have eight incoming freshmen, with Pernille Pedersen (of Lemvig, Denmark) as another new person to the team. So we have nine people we’re incorporating into the team.”

Returning to the fold this season are Allyssa Henderson of Buckfield, Alex Donald of Litchfield, Danielle Hebert of Madison, Kayla Ellis of Dover, N.H., and Teira Durgin of Oxford Hills. Durgin was named earlier this year to the school’s all-decade team, alongside past players such as Lynn Girouard, Ashley Swett and Tiffany Seams.

“I think we have a pretty deep team,” Bridges said. “I think that there’s a lot of talent on this team, but I think it’s going to be later that we come together, as opposed to quicker.”

While Durgin will be instrumental in helping the team come together, Bridges is also excited about some of the incoming talent, including Pedersen, a member of the national basketball team in Denmark.

“It’s a different kind of basketball she’ll be playing, where she’s used to the international game,” Bridges said. “And she’s used to being a 5-11 point guard, not a post player like she likely will be here, so it will take some time for her to adjust, too.”

Bridges also received some bad news this week about a top incoming player.

“We lost a pretty important player from our program this week in Karlee Biskup,” Bridges said. “She had been our starting point guard and ruptured her Achilles tendon. She’s gone for the season now.”

“The good part about it is that we’re replacing her with an all-star guard from last year,” Bridges continued. “We’re going to be moving Danielle Hebert back from shooting guard to point guard, as she was an all-star guard last year. We’re not in bad shape there.”

And, Bridges said, the Yankee Small College Conference is ripe for the taking, and despite the youth on the squad, another league title (CMCC has won three titles in the last 10 years) isn’t out of the question.

“I think the ceiling is high, to be honest with you,” Bridges said. “It’s a really balanced league, and I think the league is really young. So with that, I really like our chances. We’ll compete, there’s no doubt about it. I think the league is like us, and if it’s like us, then I like our chances because we have kids who are really committed, and really work hard at it. I’m excited about our prospects.”