FORT COLLINS – Emma Ronsiek is not McKenna Hofschild. She wants to make that clear.

But no one wants her to be either.

It's a new era for Colorado State women's basketball, but that doesn't mean the Rams are lacking star power despite the loss of Hofschild Becky Hammon.

“Anyone who watched CSU women’s basketball knew who McKenna Hofschild was from the last four years,” Ronsiek told the Denver Gazette. “She's kind of elevated this program and I wouldn't even say I'm half as good as her (for) what she's done for this program because I'm only going to be here a year. I think I'll just be completely different. I'm not McKenna. I can't do the things she does. I think we will play very differently this year. I think the fans can be a little happy about that.”

After four years at Creighton, Ronsiek earned all-Big East honors, including last season averaging nearly 16 points and over five rebounds per game for a Bluejays team that made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament There is a simple reason Ronsiek chose to play her final year of college basketball at Moby Arena: to join her younger sister Hannah, who is beginning her third season at CSU.

“It was great,” Emma said. “Obviously the basketball part is the key part of why I'm here, just the opportunity to play with her and meet new people. But I'll just live with her again. That's one of the more important aspects of why I'm here. We haven't lived together since high school, and this is probably our last year ever because we're moving on to bigger and better things (after college). I couldn’t imagine spending my senior year anywhere else.”

The last time the Ronsiek sisters played together was during the 2019-20 season at O'Gorman High School in Sioux Falls, SD. That season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic and the two sisters didn't know at the time if they would ever get the chance to play together again.

That certainly played a role in Emma's decision to move, she said.

But having both in practice has led to an intensity the Rams haven't had recently.

“Really competitive,” CSU coach Ryun Williams described the Ronsiek sisters. “In practice there are times when they go at each other and protect each other. If Hannah guards Emma, ​​she will punish her 20 times. It seems like her goal is to bleed her nose. I don't know if they had a fight at home or what, but they are very competitive. They're fun. If they get a little upset, their mom would tell me to just let it get sorted out.”

Aside from Emma, ​​Fort Collins is a new-look team made up of seasoned veteran transfers and promising young players surrounding the few returnees like Hannah.

This won't be a team that's hoping Hofschild will bail them out on every possession, even if Emma will likely be the one to lead from the forward position.

“You’re going to see a lot more energy in this basketball,” Williams said. “Yes, we can certainly play through Emma, ​​but that’s not what we’re trying to do here. We're not trying to replace McKenna with Emma. She's just a really talented piece for what's on the floor. We want energy in this ball. We want it to be more of a collective effort to find a good shot.”

That's exactly how Emma likes to play.

“I love playing point guard. I love passing. I really love getting my teammates involved,” she said. “Be prepared for anything.”

The beginning may not look pretty, especially given what Williams called a “challenging” non-conference schedule, but this Rams team is confident it will play its best basketball in March when it matters most.

“We have to be patient with this group,” Williams said. “We're challenging this group and that's because I really believe in what they're going to become. While I expect some growing pains, I think this group has the maturity to continue to figure it out.”

Colorado State women's basketball 2024-25 schedule

Monday: vs. San Francisco (5:30 p.m., Mountain West Network)

Friday: vs. Oregon State (5:30 p.m., MW Network)

November 13: at BYU (11 a.m., ESPN+)

November 16: vs. Columbia (Mon.) College (1 p.m., MW Network)

November 19: vs. Southern (6:30 p.m., MW Network)

November 23: vs. Northern Arizona (6 p.m., MW Network)

November 25: vs. Black Hills State (6:30 p.m., MW Network)

November 29: vs. Kent State (12:30 p.m. in San Juan, Puerto Rico)

November 30: vs. Brown (12:30 p.m. in San Juan, Puerto Rico)

December 8: vs. Gonzaga (1 p.m., MW Network)

December 16: vs. UTEP (6:30 p.m., MW Network)

December 19: vs. Georgia (2 p.m. in San Diego)

December 21st: against Stephen F. Austin (12 p.m. in San Diego)

December 29: at Utah State (2 p.m., MW Network)

January 1: vs. San Diego State (1 p.m., MW Network)

January 4: vs. San Jose State (time to be announced, MW Network)

Jan. 8: at UNLV (7:30 p.m., MW Network)

January 15: at San Diego State (7 p.m., MW Network)

January 18: vs. New Mexico (time to be announced, MW Network)

Jan. 21: vs. Boise State (time to be announced, MW Network)

January 25: in Wyoming (2 p.m., MW Network)

February 1: vs. Air Force (time to be announced, MW Network)

February 4th: in New Mexico (8:30 p.m., FS1)

February 8: at Boise State (2 p.m., MW Network)

February 12: vs. Utah State (time to be announced, MW Network)

February 15: at the Air Force (1 p.m., MW Network)

February 19: vs. Fresno State (time to be announced, MW Network)

February 22: vs. UNLV (time to be announced, MW Network)

February 26: in Nevada (7:30 p.m., MW Network)

March 1: vs. Wyoming (time to be announced, MW Network)

March 4: at San Jose State (8 p.m., MW Network)

King prediction and team awards

Prediction: 3rd place in Mountain West and WNIT appearance

Team MVP: Emma Ronsiek

Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah Ronsiek

Breakout star: Marta Lemaine

Impact rookie: Brooke Carlson