CHERRY TWP — It’s not that Stephanie McCall loathes playing in the paint.

At 5-foot-10, McCall is one of the tallest players on the Moniteau girls basketball roster and, for the past several seasons, has excelled banging around inside as the Warriors’ center.

Last season, she averaged 14.5 points and 9.7 rebounds while also playing stellar defense.

“I like guarding the big girls,” McCall said. “It’s one of my favorite things.”

But this season, McCall will venture out of the key and into the perimeter.

She will handle the ball more, pass more and shoot more from the outside.

The senior is reinventing her game.

“I’m going to play more of the (small forward and power forward) positions this season,” McCall said. “I’m personally trying to be more like a guard, dribble more, penetrate and pass and shoot. I’m really not a center.”

It’s a stark change for McCall, who has shown flashes of being able to play all five positions on the floor, but the Warriors needed her inside.

This year, Moniteau has the luxury to move her around more.

“She’s excited about trying a different position,” said Moniteau girls basketball coach Matt Stebbins. “She’s athletic and can jump and she nearly averaged a double-double for us last season. She doesn’t need to score all the time for us. She can become more of an all-around player. I think she’ll rise to the occasion.”

McCall spent the spring and summer playing away from the basket for her AAU team. She used that time to hone those skills and said she feels confident she can make a seamless transition this winter.

“I really like the challenge,” McCall said. “It’s completely different from what I did last year. I really worked on my dribbling, passing and shooting and it’s coming around.”

McCall was also excited about the change because she said it will make Moniteau a better basketball team this season.

“I’m a little nervous, but I think it will work out better in the long run,” McCall said. “Me being outside, we have some players like Kristina DeMatteis and other girls who can play inside. It’ll make us a more dangerous team. We really have some big goals for this season.”

Last year, the Warriors went 14-9, but lost to Redbank Valley in the District 9 Class AA playoffs.

This year, the bar has been raised.

“We want to prove something, give people something to talk about,” McCall said. “There’s a lot more to our team than the starting five. We have a deep bench.”

McCall said the team has also moved on from some of the off-the-court drama that dogged it a season ago.

“I think everyone has matured a little bit,” McCall said. “We all realize what we’re here for. On the court, we are one team and our goals are all the same.”

McCall’s goal is to become a force at her new position.

She already has received interest from numerous Division III colleges.

Being able to play on the perimeter can only help, she said.

“I am interested in playing college basketball,” McCall said. “I’ve had multiple colleges contact me and most of them are looking at me to play (small forward or power forward), so it has helped me a lot as I look into playing at the next level.”