Various B1G Team Notes 2020-21

[Ignatius L Hoops]

IU College Sports coverage in Bloomington, IN | The Herald-Times

IU College sports coverage for Bloomington, IN from The Herald-Times.

www.hoosiersportsreport.com

Indiana's Teri Moren looks ahead:

With only Wise departing, Indiana should need only shuffle the deck next season. That might mean seeing more of Gulbe and Holmes on the floor together. It happened at times this past season, but for the most part the pair shared the center position.

“We like that lineup,” Moren said. “We like the combination of the two. Moving forward it gives you a snapshot of how we can play in the next few years because of Aleksa’s ability to stretch you out, but it’s a luxury to have a kid that can stretch defenses beyond the arc but will go down and post up and play with her back to the basket.”

Some of Holmes’ rising sophomore classmates also stand to play significant roles, from Chanel Wilson and Grace Waggoner at the guards to Jorie Allen and Hannah Noveroske in the frontcourt.

Wilson saw just over 10 minutes per game and Allen 11 this past season, while Waggoner saw a little better than nine minutes over the final five games of the season.

That said, Indiana has had its fair share of success mining the transfer portal with the likes of Patberg and Wise, and the hope is that Danielle Patterson can be the next in line.

The 6-2 Notre Dame transfer underwent knee surgery for a patella injury last summer and hopes to be cleared for running by June. That means shooting has been the extent of her basketball activity.

“We talk about Brenna departing and moving on. I do see Dani Patterson as being one of those kids who could slip into the role of being a leader,” Moren said. “She had a great temperament and a great pulse on our team as individuals. Just watching her in practice, watching her walk around and talk and communicate with teammates was very special. She stayed very engaged. She’s a talented kid but to say we know how she’s going to come back is still too early.

With Bendu Yeaney and Shaila Beeler transferring out of the program this year, the Hoosiers now have multiple open scholarships if they find someone else in the transfer portal to add for the 2020-21 season.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Ohio State Head Coach Kevin McGuff Discusses Kierstan Bell’s Transfer From Program – Buckeye Sports Bulletin

www.buckeyesports.com

Buckeye Head Coach Kevin McGuff:

...McGuff said he doesn’t have an exact answer as to why he believes [Kierstan] Bell is transferring, but that, in general, the adjustment from high school to college can be a difficult one.

“All seasons are an adjustment for freshmen, but overall I thought she adjusted well and did a lot of really good things,” McGuff said. “I just think she’s trying to find a place where she can kind of be content and happy in all phases of her life on and off the court.”

Bell is the second departure from Ohio State’s 2019 recruiting class, the other being guard Kaelynn Satterfield, who is now at Xavier. The remaining members are a pair of five-star guards in Rikki Harris and Jacy Sheldon, four-star guard Madison Greene, three-star forward Aixa Wone and forward Rebeka Mikulasikova, who did not receive an ESPN recruit ranking.

With that new talent coming in and a lot of talent still remaining — Ohio State has all of its production besides Bell and Satterfield returning — McGuff is still more than ready to move forward.

“We’ll certainly play a similar style and we’ve got good players,” McGuff said. “So just kind of keep it moving, wish her the best and keep it moving.”

There is also more of an opening to look toward the transfer portal. Ohio State is set to have 12 players for next season, allowing for a few players from across the country, much like the Buckeyes did with Braxtin Miller, who came from Oklahoma State this past season.

“We’ve had some people reach out to us who have some interest,” McGuff said. “We just have to figure out if there’s anybody that would be the right fit, potentially, but we haven’t gotten to that point yet.”

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Quick Q&A with Coach Versyp - Purdue Boilermakers

A few weeks removed from the abrupt and responsible end to the 2019-20 women's basketball season, head coach Sharon Versyp has had very little time off. Just...

purduesports.com

Sharon Versyp post-season Q & A.

Q: Now that you've had some time to process the 2019-20 season, what have you been able to take away from your 14th year at Purdue :
...

I thought we were in great shape to do some great things in the Big Ten. We were playing at an extremely high level, only for Tamara to go down with a season-ending injury. She is really the lynchpin of our defense, so we had to change the complexion of how we played on the defensive end of the floor. The toughest part was that we faced two of the best teams in the conference right after that.

The Big Ten was the toughest and deepest that it's ever been. We were definitely getting eight teams in the NCAA Tournament. There are a couple of games you want to get back against Minnesota and Michigan State at home, which was tough after Karissa missed three games and took a bit to get her rhythm back.

I thought our Big Ten Tournament run was really impressive. We dominated against Michigan State and played Maryland closer than almost everyone in the Big Ten. We were playing elite basketball, and it would have been fun to see how far we would have gone in the NCAA Tournament.

Q: Once Purdue had made the decision to go to online learning, what was the process like ensuring the players made it home safe?
...

It was pretty easy for most of our student-athletes from the United States. Once they got home, they all called and texted to say they made it safely. For our international players, it was a bit tougher. Leo and Roxane drove home that Saturday. They had to leave pretty quickly because borders started to close.

Jenelle was tough because people could not travel from the UK to the United State, but people could still fly there. We tried to get her a flight out, but it kept changing. There was only one flight from Chicago to London a day, but we finally were able to get her on it, and she made it back safely.

Fatou was a challenging issue to get back to Senegal. We tried for nearly a week to get her on a flight back home, most international flights were getting cancelled by the minute. Our Anthony Travel reps were absolutely amazing in helping us find flights. We got her to Chicago and her flight was canceled. We then found a flight at 7 p.m. from New York to Senegal, but at 4:30, the president of Senegal closed down its borders. So, she's currently in Indianapolis with her brother and his family. Tamara ended up staying here to work on her rehab.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Fighting Illini Announce Fahey Extension - University of Illinois Athletics

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – University of Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced today a two-year contract extension for women's basketball head coach Nancy

fightingillini.com

Nancy Fahey gets extended (the wins over Minnesota must carry a lot of weight):

University of Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced today a two-year contract extension for women's basketball head coach Nancy Fahey. The extension, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees at its May 21 meeting, will keep the five-time national champion and Women's Basketball Hall of Famer at Illinois through at least the 2024-25 season.

"I have great confidence in Nancy's leadership and look forward to her advancing our women's basketball program for many years," said Whitman. "Although the wins have not come on the court as quickly as any of us, especially Nancy, would like, I see the internal growth occurring within the program. The culture and work ethic have improved dramatically, as has our talent. Nancy and her staff have worked tirelessly in the gym and on the recruiting trail, and we have a talented, motivated core group of players returning for us next season, complemented by an impressive set of newcomers.
...
Under Fahey's guidance, the Fighting Illini have improved their win total each year, culminating with last season's 11-win campaign, the most for the program since 2014-15.
...

Fahey's current salary structure remains unchanged though the terms of her initial contract (2022-23), while the two-year extension calls for total compensation of $645,000 in 2023-24, and $675,000 in 2024-25. Full details of the extension will be available upon approval by the Board of Trustees.

 

[thatjanelpick]

Fighting Illini Announce Fahey Extension - University of Illinois Athletics

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – University of Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman announced today a two-year contract extension for women's basketball head coach Nancy

fightingillini.com

Nancy Fahey gets extended (the wins over Minnesota must carry a lot of weight):

Raoul reports her top scorer, Holesinska, has decamped for North Carolina (which reportedly has done some vicious roster-trimming).

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

'This is a big year': Illini enter Fahey's 4th year 'so hungry'

Nancy Fahey’s first three years at Illinois haven’t gone as she or athletic director Josh Whitman would have hoped. Under Fahey, Illinois women’s

247sports.com

More Illini, more Fahey and more optimism:

Under Fahey, Illinois women’s basketball has won just eight percent of its Big Ten games (4-48). After going winless in conference play during Fahey’s first season, the Illini haven’t improved much, going 2-16 in each of the past two years.
...
Headed into her fourth year, Fahey is optimistic that an influx of size for next season — including the addition of 6-foot-5 Arizona State transfer Eva Rubin — and another recruiting class will give Illinois the talent it needs to compete in the Big Ten. Illinois loses five seniors, and leading scorer Petra Holešínská (12.6 points) is transferring to North Carolina.

But now Fahey’s team is mostly made up of her own recruits, and the Illini return a promising trio of second-year players, including Kennedi Myles, who broke the program freshman double-double record (with eight on the year) and averaged 8.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Rising sophomore guards Jeanae Terry (6.2 points per game) and Jada Peebles (5.4 points per game) will return to anchor the backcourt after each averaging over 20 minutes per game as freshmen.

They’ll be joined by East Lansing guard Aaliyah Nye, a First Team All-State honoree who hit six threes in a loss in the state championship, and wing Aaliyah McQueen, who averaged 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists as a senior at Carman-Ainsworth in Flint. Both are three-star recruits who can shoot the three-ball, and Prospects Nation rates McQueen as the No. 22 wing in the country.

They’ll be joined by East Lansing guard Aaliyah Nye, a First Team All-State honoree who hit six threes in a loss in the state championship, and wing Aaliyah McQueen, who averaged 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists as a senior at Carman-Ainsworth in Flint. Both are three-star recruits who can shoot the three-ball, and Prospects Nation rates McQueen as the No. 22 wing in the country.

“The first year I was here, we graduated one player,” Fahey said. “The second year, we graduated two. This is a big year in who we brought in, we've got a lot of players coming in. We're bigger, I wanted to get bigger. We were competing in the Big Ten with some players that really, really worked hard, but now we have some size inside with Eva, obviously at 6-5.”
...
With the security of a contract extension, Fahey is in a solid position to improve recruiting. For the on-court struggles Illinois has had, Fahey does have some recent recruiting wins. Prospects Nation rates the 2020 class as No. 39 in the country and No. 9 in the Big Ten, which is a solid improvement — especially given results — over the 2019 class, which ranked 50th in the country and 11th in the conference.

Illinois is also bringing in JUCO transfer Solape Amusan, a forward who averaged 12.4 points and 8.0 rebounds at Iowa Western, and recently added a commitment from Erika Porter, a 6-foot-2 forward from New Jersey.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Arella Guirantes Returns to Rutgers Women’s Basketball for Senior Year - Rutgers University Athletics

scarletknights.com

Big News for the Scarlet Knights: Arella Guirantes Foregoes WNBA Draft and Returns to Rutgers.

Rutgers women's basketball redshirt junior guard Arella Guirantes has announced her decision to forego the WNBA Draft and return to the Scarlet Knights for her final year of collegiate eligibility for the 2020-21 season.

Following her transfer to Rutgers from Texas Tech after her 288-point freshman season, Guirantes sat out a year, then scored 1,004 for Rutgers through two campaigns for a career point total of 1,292. With the academic year in residence in 2017-18, she became eligible to graduate and begin her professional career. Guirantes, however, who has been projected as a first or second round pick in multiple WNBA mock drafts, made an integral decision to return to college on unfinished business.

"I have my goals written down, and I didn't write them down for nothing," Guirantes said. "This morning I read my bible and started reflecting. I was feeling overwhelmed and feeling anxious to get it over with. This verse stuck out to me and reminded me the process is part of the journey. I was going to make a decision to get it over with, but this decision is what I'm supposed to be going through. What I needed to do was be faithful toward my goals. I want to be the Big Ten Player of the Year, a First Team All-American and win a championship with Rutgers Basketball. This is what I'm supposed to go through to be prepared for those moments."

 

[Shades]

There was WAY too much hype surrounding whether or not she was entering the draft. She’s a good player but not an earth-moving one.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Hail Varsity | Husker News, Stories, and Analysis

Get the latest Nebraska Huskers news and analysis from Hail Varsity by Hurrdat Sports. We take a fun, fresh approach to updating you on the Huskers.

hailvarsity.com

More on Mi'Cole Cayton and the Huskers:

A 5-foot-9 graduate transfer, Cayton originally committed to Nebraska as part of the 2016 class five years ago, but when former head coach Connie Yori resigned, she got a release from the program and made her way out to Berkley.

At the time a top-100 recruit and a high school All-American from Stockton, California, Cayton was an instant-impact player for the Bears. She played in all 34 games as a freshman and earned 13 starts (including the last 12 games of the season). She averaged 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and just over two assists a game, enough to garner Pac-12 All-Freshman honorable mention status.

She started the first game of her sophomore season and put up 13 points before tearing her ACL. Recovery and rehab cost her the entire 2017-18 season. Multiple surgeries on the same knee since have afforded her only three games in the last two seasons.

Presuming health, she’ll arrive at Nebraska with a chance to start fresh.
...
The Huskers are having to replace Hannah Whitish and Nicea Eliely, two senior starters from the backcourt a season ago, as well as would-be junior starter Leigha Brown. Brown announced last week she was transferring from Nebraska, where she won the Big Ten’s Sixth Woman of the Year award and led NU in scoring, to Michigan.

Cayton will join a backcourt that features junior-to-be Sam Haiby and sophomores Trinity Brady and Makenzie Helms. Haiby, a regular starter throughout the 2019-20 campaign, is nearly a shoe-in to grab one of the Huskers’ starting spots next season, but the 5-foot-11 Brady may be able to give Cayton a good battle for the other spot.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Indiana Women’s Basketball Adds Cardaño-Hillary and Moore-McNeil - Indiana University Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana Women's Basketball has announced a pair of additions to its roster in Nicole Cardaño-Hillary and Chloe Moore-McNeil for th...

iuhoosiers.com

Hoosiers add two for upcoming season: the previously noted transfer NIcole Cardano-Hillary and the late high school commit Chloe Moore-McNeil.

Indiana Women's Basketball has announced a pair of additions to its roster in Nicole Cardaño-Hillary and Chloe Moore-McNeil for the upcoming 2020-21 season.

Cardaño-Hillary is a transfer from George Mason where she played three seasons and was the 2018-19 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year. Moore-McNeil will be a freshman next season, coming out of Greenfield High School in Greenfield, Tenn.

...

Moore-McNeil is a two-time Tennessee Class A Miss Basketball out of Greenfield High School where she helped her team to a 34-0 record as a senior and averaged 20.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 40% from 3-point range. She has scored 2,598 points in her high school career and finished with more than 500 rebounds, 500 assists and 400 steals. Moore-McNeil, a 6-foot guard, is a three-time Class A semifinalist including a Class A State Championship trophy in 2018. She is a three-time 13A All-District selections where she also helped her team to three district championships.

"Chloe is a player that we have been tracking for a long time," Moren said. "She has had an outstanding high school career, having been a two-time Tennessee Class A Miss Basketball and leading her team to an undefeated season as a senior. Chloe is very versatile and will be able to provide length and activity on defense for us"

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Bella Cravens Transfers To Nebraska, Offering All-Around Depth Down Low

With an opportunity to grow under one of the Big Ten's standout centers, Bella Cravens has found perhaps her ideal fit at Nebraska.

www.forbes.com

6' 3" forward Bella Cravens transfers to Nebraska.

One of the Big Sky’s rising stars is on the move, as Nebraska women’s basketball announced Wednesday that center Bella Cravens would be transferring to the program.

Cravens, who just finished her sophomore season at Eastern Washington, started 43 of 60 games she appeared in, including 26 of 28 in 2019-20. She was recognized as All-Big Sky Honorable Mention last month.

At Eastern Washington, Cravens was best known as a defensive force. She led the conference in rebounds her sophomore season at 8.5 per game, while leading the Eagles in blocks at 1.7 per game. But she could also make her own offense, averaging 2.7 offensive boards to go with a team second-best 10.4 points.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Swedish player Lovisa Djurstrom signs with Badgers women's basketball

Lovisa Djurstrom, a 6-4 forward who plays for the elite RIG Mark academy in Kinna, Sweden, said she was attracted by UW’s combination of athletics and academics.

madison.com

Badgers sign 6'4" Swedish forward Lovisa Djurstrom.

Suddenly, the talent is flowing to the University of Wisconsin women’s basketball program from near and far.

One day after landing a local product, Madison Edgewood’s Estella Moschkau, as a graduate transfer from Stanford, the Badgers added a highly regarded international prospect, Lovisa Djurstrom.

Djurstrom, a 6-foot-4 forward from Gothenburg, Sweden, signed a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday to become part of the UW 2020 recruiting class.

The idea of playing in the U.S. is one that was enthusiastically encouraged by Geoff Golden, founder/director of B.C. Denver Basketball AAU program, who spent the past season coaching with the RIG Mark academy.

“I was just really impressed with who she was as a person and her talent level,” Golden said. “When I got back I said, ‘you’re a fantastic player and you really need to consider coming to the U.S. and playing.’ She was interested in that and I’ve helped her in that process.
“She has the size, the length and very nice athleticism. A lot of kids have that but she has the skill set. She’s really light on her feet, she can shoot the 3, she can handle it a little bit.

 

[bbwannabe]

Lots of height...

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Merchant scores another commit in Maltida Ekh

EAST LANSING — Michigan State coach Suzy Merchant has just received another commit for the 2020-21 Spartan team in Matilda Ekh, a 6-foot guard/forward who comes from Västerås, Sweden. “We...

impact89fm.org

Michigan State adds Swedish guard/forward Maltida Ekh.

EAST LANSING — Michigan State coach Suzy Merchant has just received another commit for the 2020-21 Spartan team in Matilda Ekh, a 6-foot guard/forward who comes from Västerås, Sweden.

“We are thrilled to add Matilda to the Spartan family,” Merchant said. “She has played at the highest level of international basketball in Sweden and on the world stage. We love her versatility and ability to be a playmaker and scorer. Her basketball IQ is off the charts, and we can’t wait to have her put on a Spartan uniform.”

Ekh (pronounced Eck) plays for Luleå Basket for coach Robin Sandberg. Additionally, she participated in Swedish First League and was named Rookie of the Year. Ekh won the U-19 Swedish Championship with her high school team, Riksbasketgymnasiet Luleå. Ekh won MVP and earned a spot on the All-Star team.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Anna Morris set to take Northwestern women’s basketball by storm

As Anna Morris took the court for New Jersey’s Immaculate Heart Academy on March 11, she knew the stakes. A win over Hudson Catholic Regional High School would give the Blue Eagles their ninth-straight sectional title. A loss, and Morris’ high school career would be over. The 6-foot-3 power...

dailynorthwestern.com

The Wildcats freshman power forward Anna Morris:

As Anna Morris took the court for New Jersey’s Immaculate Heart Academy on March 11, she knew the stakes.

A win over Hudson Catholic Regional High School would give the Blue Eagles their ninth-straight division title. A loss, and Morris’ high school career would be over.

The 6-foot-3 power forward scored a season-high 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the Blue Eagles won 61-37, reserving a date with New Jersey’s top team — Saint John Vianney High School — in the state championship game.

“Not only did I play well, but our team played really well,” Morris said. “We were really hoping to win the state championship this year, especially because we’ve lost it the last three years.”

Heading into the title game, Morris could potentially achieve the one thing that eluded her high school basketball career. Even though she received all-state, all-section, all-conference and all-county honors for four straight years and was named a five-star recruit by ESPNW, Morris had always wanted a state championship.

But 48 hours before tip-off, her high school career came to a shocking end. The championship game was canceled because of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic.
...
Morris, who signed with Northwestern in November 2019, is one of the best recruits in Wildcats history, ranked as the nation’s 46th-best high school player. The Mahwah, New Jersey native, who can dominate opponents defensively in the post and drain 3-point shots, will be one of the most intriguing players on a Wildcat squad that hopes to repeat as Big Ten champions.

Because NU’s All-Big Ten frontcourt of Abi Scheid and Abbie Wolf are graduating, Morris has the chance to slide into a starting lineup that includes AP All-American Honorable Mention Lindsey Pulliam and defending Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Veronica Burton.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Hail Varsity | Husker News, Stories, and Analysis

Get the latest Nebraska Huskers news and analysis from Hail Varsity by Hurrdat Sports. We take a fun, fresh approach to updating you on the Huskers.

hailvarsity.com

A Husker transfer update with Amy Williams:

Nebraska might not be done either.

“We’re continuing to actively recruit right now, and we’re excited about a couple of other options that could be on the table. Absolutely we have room, and if we can find the right pieces that will complement the players we currently have, we would definitely (take another player). We’re still working.”

The late signing period, thanks to an extension from the NCAA, now runs through August 1.

 

[bbwannabe]

Seems like the Big Ten will continue to be a tough conference.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

All-time starting five honors women's hoops stars of past - The Daily Illini

The Illinois women’s basketball team has struggled over the last several seasons. However, the program has had its success in the past in large part because Illinois has had some great players in their history. Here are Illinois’s all-time starting five. G Jenny Johnson Jenny Johnson was a...

dailyillini.com

The Daily Illini picks an all-time Illinois starting five. Needless to say they have go back in the day-way back in the day. The most recent being Bloomington's Jenna Smith:

C Jenna Smith

Unfortunately for Jenna Smith, her time at Illinois will be known more for individual success rather than team success. In her four years at Illinois from 2006-10, the Illini never made a tournament and only made it as far as the quarterfinals in the NIT.

With that said, Smith was an unstoppable force inside. Over her career at Illinois, Smith averaged 16.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. She is the all-time leading scorer in Illinois basketball history, the all-time rebounding leader, the single season rebounding leader and holds the freshman record for rebounds in a season. Smith is also third all-time in career blocks and has the Illini record for consecutive games scoring double-digit points with 54.

Individually, there is no one that rivals Smith’s success on the court. In 2008, Smith was named an All-American Honorable Mention, and she was named All-Big Ten every season she played at Illinois, First Team in 2008-10 and Honorable Mention in 2007. Smith is also the highest drafted player from Illinois, going to the Washington Mystics 14th overall in the 2010 WNBA Draft.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Juco guard Scoggin commits to Nebraska women's basketball team

Ashley Scoggin earns a spot on a Division I roster after a serious knee injury forced her to delay enrolling at a college.

journalstar.com

Nebraska adds three point specialist:

Junior college transfer Ashley Scoggin has committed to join the Nebraska women’s basketball team, she announced on social media late Friday.

The 5-foot-7 guard was a redshirt freshman this season for Salt Lake Community College. Her hometown is Portland, Oregon, where she was an all-state player at Westview High School.

She’s known for three-point shooting, making a team-best 53 this season on 135 attempts. She ranked second on the team in scoring at 10.0 points per game

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Lineup breakdown: Iowa women’s basketball

Like seasons before, Iowa women’s basketball head coach Lisa Bluder must figure out a new lineup to compete with next season. After losing key players like guards Kathleen Doyle and Makenzie Meyer and forward Amanda Ollinger, the Hawkeyes will need to replace three starters. However, they will...

dailyiowan.com

Projected Hawkeye starters starting with:

G – Caitlin Clark (6-foot-0, freshman)

Clark officially committed to the Hawkeyes Nov. 12, 2019, and that should be a day Iowa fans continue to be grateful for.

Clark will bring a big impact to the team right away, which immediately puts her in the starting lineup for next season. She was the No. 4 player in this year’s recruiting class, according to ESPN. In her senior season at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, she averaged 33.4 points per game and was named a McDonald’s All-American.

 

[CutDownTheNet]

By the way, I'm not sure if anyone posted this, but it appears that Kathleen Doyle (of Iowa) was the only Big-Ten player to get drafted this year by the WNBA. She got picked 12th (a surprisingly high pick #) by the Indiana Fever.

I never really thought of her as an outstanding player, but I guess she was very good at assists and got some rebounds too. More of a workman-like player in my book. But apparently that's what the Fever needed.

Nobody else got picked, as far as I know. Not even from Maryland.

 

[Shades]

By the way, I'm not sure if anyone posted this, but it appears that Kathleen Doyle (of Iowa) was the only Big-Ten player to get drafted this year by the WNBA. She got picked 12th (a surprisingly high pick #) by the Indiana Fever.

I never really thought of her as an outstanding player, but I guess she was very good at assists and got some rebounds too. More of a workman-like player in my book. But apparently that's what the Fever needed.

Nobody else got picked, as far as I know. Not even from Maryland.

This is where the WNBA enthusiast steps in and makes corrections.

It was an odd draft to me, especially by the NY Liberty, who took some players way above most projections. So they must have their own unique evaluation system. Both the GM and head coach are fairly green (second-year GM, first-year head coach), so maybe that has something to do with it. Quarantines probably didn’t help either. But you never know what might happen when any player gets the opportunity.

Doyle went a little higher than I expected at #14. The Big Ten tournament was held in Indianapolis, so I’m guessing she had an impressive showing. I wasn’t expecting her to go higher than Dangerfield, who I’m not particularly high on because of her micro size, but hopefully that works out.

With multiple players going higher than expected, that means other players went lower than expected.

Kaila Charles went #23 to the Connecticut Sun. They were happy to see that since #23 was their first pick of the draft. They traded a bunch of picks to acquire Dewanna Bonner. The Sun had Charles rated as a Top 10 pick.

I thought Stephanie Jones had potential to be a draft pick, but it didn’t happen. She finished the season strong. I believe she was made a starter during the season.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Maryland Women’s Basketball HC Brenda Frese Undaunted Amid Roster Shuffle - PressBox

Maryland women's basketball lost three players to transfer this spring and added two. "We've been through it before and our culture is fine," head coach Brenda Frese said, "so it’s just a matter of continuing to do what you do and find other players that fit Maryland."

pressboxonline.com

Brenda Frese jumps on the versatility band wagon: A look at Maryland's (possibly) four guard lineup.

Maryland, coming off a 28-4 Big Ten championship season and a likely top seed in the canceled 2020 NCAA Tournament, lost three players to transfer this spring — All-Big Ten performers Shakira Austin and Taylor Mikesell, along with little-used 6-foot-4 Olivia Owens. And then Maryland quickly added two new players in this new basketball world with the Terps’ coaching staff hustling while sheltered in place by the pandemic.

Senior transfer Katie Benzan, a three-time first-team All-Ivy League combo guard from Harvard, will be immediately eligible, as will Tennessee transfer Mimi Collins, who sat out all last year but practiced with the team. Maryland must wait to see just when the other new addition, 6-foot-1 senior Chloe Bibby, an Australian sharpshooter by way of powerhouse Mississippi State, can play.

...

Frese found good fits this spring in Benzan and Bibby, veterans who know how to play and know how to win. The 5-foot-6 Benzan was All-Ivy in 2017, 2018, and 2019, and then sat out this past season. She averaged 13.7 points, 4.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds, playing 34 minutes per game during her three years.

The fiery Benzan actually visited Maryland on an official visit in the fall after she announced she was leaving Harvard. Texas and North Carolina were in the mix, as well, and Benzan had even announced she was leaving for the Longhorns, but stayed at Harvard, wrapping up her degree in psychology in May.

“We were able to spend a lot of time with her and her family through the recruiting process, and we knew what a winner she was,” Frese said. “The exciting thing is she’s a knockdown 3-point shooter and can play the one and the two [guard spots] so she’s going to be very versatile and allow us to have another great, greenlight shooter.”

Bibby is a bigger swing player at guard and forward. The Warracknabeal, Australia, native played 88 games for the Bulldogs, averaging 9.1 points and 4.8 rebounds the last two seasons. She was limited to 18 games in 2018-19 after tearing an ACL, but was part of two Final Four teams and Mississippi State’s 2019 Elite Eight squad.

...

“I’ve heard from a lot of the WNBA coaches and [general managers] how much that versatility matters,” Frese added. “And with how we built our defense this past year, it was very interchangeable one through five, and offensively that’s where we’re trying to get to as well. Next year I think we’ll have more of a four-guard lineup, just building on the roster we have.”

Big Ten Freshman of the Year and conference tournament MVP Ashley Owusu already redefined the entire scheme offensively, a locomotive-like power forward with point guard skills and ability to get to the basket at will.

 

[CutDownTheNet]

This is where the WNBA enthusiast steps in and makes corrections.

It was an odd draft to me, especially by the NY Liberty, who took some players way above most projections. So they must have their own unique evaluation system. Both the GM and head coach are fairly green (second-year GM, first-year head coach), so maybe that has something to do with it. Quarantines probably didn’t help either. But you never know what might happen when any player gets the opportunity.

Doyle went a little higher than I expected at #14. The Big Ten tournament was held in Indianapolis, so I’m guessing she had an impressive showing. I wasn’t expecting her to go higher than Dangerfield, who I’m not particularly high on because of her micro size, but hopefully that works out.

With multiple players going higher than expected, that means other players went lower than expected.

Kaila Charles went #23 to the Connecticut Sun. They were happy to see that since #23 was their first pick of the draft. They traded a bunch of picks to acquire Dewanna Bonner. The Sun had Charles rated as a Top 10 pick.

I thought Stephanie Jones had potential to be a draft pick, but it didn’t happen. She finished the season strong. I believe she was made a starter during the season.

Thanks for that update, @Shades. They went at such a warp speed through the announcement of the 2nd and 3rd rounds, that I didn't notice Kaila Charles. The Sun already has Stephanie's sister, who arguably is a little bit better than Stephanie, I guess.

The Lynx drafted (in a later pick) somebody I'd never heard of, and I've yet to go back and look at the Lynx web site. OK, just looked, it was Mikiah Herbert Harrigan of South Carolina, who I was not familiar with.

BTW, some videos on the Lynx site of Rachel working out as a Lynx.

Still not looking so good re a potential start for a WNBA season.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Terps add a 6'1" guard who is immediately eligible. Yes, another guard.

Maryland Welcomes Guard Taisiya Kozlova - University of Maryland Athletics

Head coach Brenda Frese and the Big Ten champion Maryland women's basketball team signed 6-1 guard Taisiya "Tai" Kozlova (ty-EE-see-ah koz-LOW-vah) Monda...

umterps.com

COLLEGE PARK, Md. --

Head coach Brenda Frese and the Big Ten champion Maryland women's basketball team signed 6-1 guard Taisiya "Tai" Kozlova (ty-EE-see-ah koz-LOW-vah) Monday. Kozlova, a native of Moscow, Russia, comes to the Terrapins by way of the Elevation Prep Academy in Sarasota, Fla. She is eligible immediately with four years of eligibility.

Kozlova averaged 13.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game in her first season in the U.S. this past year. She led the team in minutes played and points per game, starting every game.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Women’s Basketball Announces Five Roster Additions for Upcoming Season

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's basketball head coach Carolyn Kieger has announced the addition of five newcomers, two transfers and three incoming freshmen, who will join the Lady Lions ahead of the 2020-21 season.

gopsusports.com

Penn State's roster additions for the coming season:

Penn State women's basketball head coach Carolyn Kieger has announced the addition of five newcomers, two transfers and three incoming freshmen, who will join the Lady Lions ahead of the 2020-21 season.

Niya Beverley (Laurel, Md.) will join the team after playing three years at Wisconsin. Britnay Gore (Antigua, Caribbean) comes to Happy Valley after two seasons at Cleveland State Community College. Tova Sabel (Stockholm, Sweden), Constance Thomas (Plant City, Fla.) and Mekkena Boyd (Williston, Vt.) will join Penn State as freshmen. Sabel, Thomas and Boyd will make the fifth, sixth and seventh members of the freshmen class, joining the four highly-touted signees (Maddie Burke, Kaci Donovan, Nan Garcia and Leilani Kapinus) that inked National Letters of Intent during the November signing period.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

McLaughlin to Miss 2020-21 Season - Purdue Boilermakers

McLaughlin will undergo season-ending ankle surgery in July and rehab throughout the season.

purduesports.com

If there is a season, Karissa McLaughlin will miss it:

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue women's basketball head coach Sharon Versyp announced that guard Karissa McLaughlin will undergo season-ending ankle surgery in July. The Fort Wayne will take a redshirt year for the 2020-21 season.

Originally scheduled for surgery in early April, McLaughlin, the coaching staff and Purdue athletic training personnel were forced to postpone the procedure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It was crushing news," Versyp said. "We know it's the right course of treatment for Karissa, but it's still difficult to process. She has an immeasurable impact on our program. We know she will work hard to rehab and get in a position to be ready for next year. In the meantime, Karissa will still be a leader on this team and will find new ways to make an impact off the court."

The two-time All-Big Ten honoree has been a mainstay in the Purdue lineup over the last three years, starting 94 of her 98 career games. She needs seven 3-pointers to overtake Courtney Moses' 240 triples for the career program record. McLaughlin is a 39% shooter from the field and hit 35.8% from distance in her career to average 12.8 points per game.

In addition to her scoring prowess, McLaughlin is just the fifth player in program history to dish out over 100 assists in each of her first three seasons

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Iowa women’s basketball freshman Caitlin Clark not intimidated by high expectations

Incoming freshman Caitlin Clark joined the Iowa women’s basketball team June 15 for the program’s first voluntary workout since its 2019-20 season ended prematurely. Clark is facing high expectations despite only being a freshman, but she also has high expectations for herself. Clark was a...

dailyiowan.com

Incoming freshman Caitlin Clark joined the Iowa women’s basketball team June 15 for the program’s first voluntary workout since its 2019-20 season ended prematurely.

Clark is facing high expectations despite only being a freshman, but she also has high expectations for herself.

Clark was a five-star commit out of Dowling Catholic high school in Des Moines. In her prep career, she amassed a number of honors, including two-time Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year. In the summer of 2019, she played on the U19 World Cup women’s basketball team, who went 7-0 and won a gold medal.


Clark was recruited by a several schools, including Oregon, Duke, and Texas. She narrowed it down to Iowa, Iowa State, and Notre Dame before officially committing to Iowa on November 12 last year.

After scouting Clark throughout her middle and high school career, the women’s basketball program was ecstatic to land such a coveted recruit.

“Winning a big game is fun, but getting a big recruit is even better,” head coach Lisa Bluder said. “You know that that’s going to impact your program for four years, not just one game.”

The 2020-2021 Iowa women’s basketball recruiting class was ranked 15th nationally with Sharon Goodman, Lauren Jensen, and Shateah Wetering joining Clark as the freshmen on the team.

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

Ohio State Pauses Voluntary Workouts Due to Positive COVID-19 Tests

Ohio State has paused all voluntary workouts for its athletes due to positive COVID-19 tests.

www.elevenwarriors.com

Ohio State pauses voluntary workouts due to positive covid 19 tests. Pause includes women's basketball.

Ohio State has put voluntary workouts on hold due to positive COVID-19 tests.

Voluntary workouts for the football, men's and women's basketball, field hockey, men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball have been shut down indefinitely, according to a statement released by the university on Wednesday.

Ohio State has not released the number of athletes who tested positive for COVID-19, choosing not to share that information publicly “as it could lead to the identification of specific individuals and compromise their medical privacy.”

Per Ohio State's statement on Wednesday, any athlete who tests positive for COVID-19 “will self-isolate for at least 14 days and receive daily check-ups from the Department of Athletics medical staff. Student-athletes living alone will isolate in their residence. If they have roommates, they will self-isolate in a designated room on campus.”

 

[Ignatius L Hoops]

IU women’s basketball picks up a late 2020 addition with top-75 forward Kiandra Browne

An emerging Indiana women’s basketball program is bringing in high level talent. Canadian forward Kiandra Browne announced on Saturday that she intends to reclassify to the class of 2020 and …

www.thedailyhoosier.com

Hoosier's add 6'3" Kiandra Browne who reclassified from 2021 to 2020.

The outlook for one of the more promising seasons in Indiana women’s basketball history just got rosier.

Canadian forward Kiandra Browne announced on Saturday that she intends to reclassify to the class of 2020 and join the IU women’s basketball program.

The 6-foot-3 Browne was nominated for the McDonald’s All-American annual senior showcase event April 1 at Toyota Center in Houston.

Browne originally hails from Pointe Claire, Quebec. She has played for the Canadian national team.

ESPN’s Dan Olson gave these evaluations of Browne on her profile page:

IE Independent Nationals-February 2020: Physical, efficient interior prospect with high motor effort; soft touch, footwork yields results in the paint, visits to the charity stripe; work horse on the glass, mobile in transition game. (Olson)