Kim Brennan has high hopes for the 2009-2010 Bentley women’s basketball team.

“I expect our team to finish first in the league and make it to the NCAA Tournament,” says the junior point guard.

And with her record of success, who can doubt the prediction?

The 5-foot, 8-inch native of Locust Valley, N.Y., made an early impact at Bentley. Brennan collected Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year honors after the 2007-2008 season, when she averaged 10 points, 3.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds, while helping Bentley reach the NCAA Tournament.

Her sophomore season was even better. Brennan averaged 15.1 points, good for second on the team, and contributed 3.7 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. For proof of her prowess as both a scorer and passer, look no further than this: Brennan is the only NE-10 player with a top 10 ranking in both points and assists. Last season saw the Falcons reach the NCAA Tournament for the third traight year.

A two-time All-State selection in high school, Brennan is one of only six players in Nassau County history to score more than 2,000 career points. Heavily recruited by several Division I schools, she enrolled at Bentley for the chance to play for Barbara Stevens, the most successful coach (774 wins and counting) in Division II women’s basketball history.

There were non-basketball reasons for Brennan’s choice as well. “I asked myself, ‘If I wasn’t able to play basketball for some reason, would I be happy?’” she says. “I love the atmosphere, the great academic reputation, and the type of people at Bentley – and the location fits my needs.”

A rich tradition of success on the court separates the Bentley women’s basketball team from most other programs, as do the school’s high academic expectations for student athletes. Brennan takes the challenge in stride.

“Basketball demands a lot of my time, so there is only a certain period of the day when I can get my work done,” says the Corporate Finance and Accounting major. “It doesn’t allow me to procrastinate. I need to have great time management.”

This season, the Falcons were picked to finish second in the NE-10 preseason coaches’ poll. The team returns three starters and 11 letter winners. And with Hall of Fame coach Stevens and Brennan leading the way, there is no shortage of optimism coming from the Bentley camp.

“We have a lot of great players back,” says Brennan. “I feel we can go really far this season if we come together.”