There is no biological explanation for it, but there seems to be some direct correlation with human beings and novelty. A woman cops a new pair of kicks and becomes filled with a false sense of fulfillment. The dude across the street buys a Beamer and thinks he will bag any female in a five mile radius. Never mind that the older version of the same product is what got that man or woman to that financial point in the first place, and will be the reason why the individual knows how to use it.

Nothing is exempt — in this scenario, especially in these parts. Talk all you want about a women’s basketball team that has had an influx of new talent. Scream through the roof about Boston schoolgirl legend Shaleyse Smallwood, who was impressive in offseason workouts; it won’t matter. Spread word about German import Sigrid Scherpeit and her versatile offensive game, but it would be a waste of time. This team will go as far as the vets will take them, plain and simple.

Don’t think of Francesca Vanin and Karoline Alexander as jalopies. Consider the duo a pair of “Pimp my Ride” classics: the former a 1957 Land Rover Series that tread its wares in western Massachusetts, and the latter a reconstructed ’64 Impala from the Empire State. Both have had to reinvent themselves; Vanin through numerous role changes, and Alexander with a devastating knee injury.

“I got hired very late, so I saw her in October,” said head coach Willette White said of Vanin. “I liked her size, strength and her ability to play inside at her size. Over the years we’ve worked her out [away from the basket]; now she plays out on the perimeter and still has skills inside”

What was most impressive to the coach was the duo’s dedication to overcoming these obstacles.

“Fran has never complained, and has always done her best at whatever we do,” White said. “She had sacrificed enormously for the program. Kali had to come back from the injury, and is now bigger and stronger.”

To Vanin, however, it was just a matter of doing what had to be done.

“First you’ve got to be willing to change, and I just want to win,” Vanin said. “If [playing away from the basket] is where my team needs me, then that’s where I’m gonna play. I attribute it to my coaches, they gave me the confidence to be out there.”

For Alexander, it was more a matter of learning life lessons.

“It shows you that not everything is guaranteed,” she said. “I didn’t think it was gonna happen; I thought I was invincible. I know now that it eventually will come to an end. Fortunately, it didn’t when I hurt my knee, but one day it will.”

It also doesn’t hurt that the team’s elder stateswomen share a close relationship.

“She’s my rock” Alexander said. “If I didn’t have her around, I don’t know what I’d be doing with myself. When we first met, we were teammates; now she’s my best friend. She’s always there, and I always have her to look to.”

This summer, the two looked to each other often. As roommates, they dedicated themselves to preparing properly for a fitting final campaign. Doing, as Alexander said, “every single thing together, from going to work, lifting, and eating” had much to do with the strengthened connection.

“It is just me and her,” she added.

Vanin agreed.

“I’d say we’ve always been real close. We’re in the same class, and all the things we’ve been through have brought us closer,” she said. “Living together in the same space, you have your ups and downs, but we’re definitely closer because of that.”

Those struggles and that friendship, in turn, have helped mold the pair into the type of people they are today. That is not to say, however, that those leadership styles come from different ends of the spectrum.

“If I’m worked up about something, she’s there to calm me down, and we’re both always there to listen to each other,” Vanin said. “We’re funny in the way we make sure everyone gets along. We’ll make comments about each other, and it lightens up the whole mood. We can tell each other how it is and not worry about what the other person is gonna say; we’re real with each other.”

Alexander adds, “Fran is more in your face and she tells you what’s on her mind, no matter how it sounds. I’m more quiet, and suggest more, where she tells you how it needs to be.”

White said the relationship between the two all came to fruition with what transpired this summer.

“They’re in the best shape of their lives,” she marveled. “That was total self-initiative. They’ve stayed around before that, but their commitment level was completely different, it was at a higher level and their work ethic too. Fran saw the fact that this has become her team, and that this is their last year.

“Our chemistry has always been an issue, and I feel like this is the first year I don’t have anything to worry about. That definitely starts at the top with Karoline and Fran.”

Vanin noted that a sense of urgency will be a prevalent theme throughout the season, specifically in regards to the team outlook.

“We are seniors, and last year was the closest we’ve been to really being successful and winning the AE championship,” she said. “That was it for the seniors, and I wanna do as much as I can and do the best that I can do as a senior. We have five new people coming in; me and Karoline are gonna be looked up to. What we do to be prepared will show how willing we are to be successful.”

After all, proper preparation has been known to keep cars on the road for a long, long time.

— Evans Erilus may be reached at [email protected]