2023-24 WCC Women's Basketball Preview

By WCC Columnist Jeff Faraudo

11/3/2023 2:00:00 PM

The Gonzaga women have tradition, experience, depth, twin sisters who control the backcourt and a shooter no one wants to play in H-O-R-S-E.

They also have senior Yvonne Ejim, a 6-foot-1 forward from Calgary, Alberta, who puts them over the top as the favorite in the West Coast Conference.

Ejim has made meteoric improvement every season since averaging 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds as a freshman in 2020-21. She was WCC’s Sixth Women of the Year and a second-team all-conference pick the next season when she bumped those numbers to 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds.

And last year, her contributions included 16.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 55 assists, 49 steals and 31 blocked shots to earn first-team All-WCC honors and a spot among five finalists for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award.

Fellow senior Eliza Hollingsworth arrived from Australia the same year Ejim came in from Canada.

“So I’ve seen her progression,” Hollingsworth said. “I remember the COVID days when we would go shoot at a parking lot. And I remember thinking, `She’s going to be pretty good.’ And here we are.

“She is the best player in this conference — 100 percent,” Hollingsworth said. “I’ve very proud of her and how much she’s developed. From who she was from Day 1 is a completely different person and that’s to her credit alone.”

The Zags believe they can sculpt a special season, and Hollingsworth said Ejim will lead the way.

“I’m really excited and I don’t think Von is anywhere near done yet. She’s going to do extraordinary things and I’m very glad I can be part of that journey with her.”

Here’s our season preview, with teams ranked in the order of the WCC coaches poll:

Yvonne Ejim

1. GONZAGA
2022-23: 17-1/1st in WCC, 28-5 overall
Head Coach: Lisa Fortier (233-59 in 10th season)
Most recent NCAA Tournament appearance: 2023 (lost 71-48 to Ole Miss in the first round)

Top returning players: Senior forward Yvonne Ejim (16.8 points, 8.4 rebounds). grad guard and 2023 WCC Player of the Year Kaylynne Truong (15.8 points, 5.0 assists), grad guard Kayleigh Truong (7.0 points, 10 games), grad guard Brynna Maxwell (13.5 points, 48-percent 3-point, 95-percent FT), grad forward Eliza Hollingsworth (8.9 points, 5.2 rebounds).

Top newcomers: The Zags signed high school prospects Claire O’Connor and Ella Hopkins and Utah transfer Naya Ojukwu, but they will have to work to play significant roles this season on a team loaded with talented veterans.

Key non-conference games: The Zags will tackle what coach Lisa Fortier believes is the toughest non-conference schedule they’ve had since she joined the program as an assistant in 2004. They visit regional rival Washington State on Thursday, and on the weekend following Thanksgiving will play at Katy, Texas for a three-game event in which they will face Alabama (Nov. 25) and No. 17 Louisville (Nov 26). Gonzaga gets a visit from No. 15 Stanford (Dec. 3), plays at Cal (Dec. 7) and vs. Arizona (Dec. 20) at Footprint Center in Phoenix.

What matters: The Zags will start a lineup featuring four graduate students and a fourth-year senior, so it’s fair to say they will boast greater experience than almost anyone they face. Star forward Yvonne Ejim is aided by twin sisters Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong, interchangeable at the guard spots, and Brynna Maxwell, one of the nation’s elite shooters. Ejim and Maxwell joined Kaylynne Truong on the all-conference team last season while Kayleigh Truong’s season was minimized by a right foot injury that cost her 23 games. She’s now healthy and the Zags have depth, with four other players who averaged double-digit minutes a year ago, including WCC All-Freshman selection Calli Stokes. And they will be motivated after losing to Portland in the WCC tournament final and being bounced from the NCAA tournament in the first round last March.

I’m super-excited to play those teams. I think we need those games, especially going to postseason. It’s a great challenge for us and a great experience to play against the highest level. It’s something we can rise to and a way we can create a name for ourselves and put ourselves out there pretty early.

Graduate forward Eliza Hollingsworth on the Zags’ challenging schedule

Maisie Burnham

2. PORTLAND
2022-23: 15-3/2nd in WCC, 23-9 overall; won the WCC tournament
Head Coach: Michael Meek (78-44 in 5th season)
Most recent NCAA Tournament appearance: 2023 (lost 85-63 to Oklahoma in the first round)

Top returning players: Junior guard Maisie Burnham (11.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 39-percent 3-point), junior guard Emma Shearer (10.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 40-percent 3-point), senior forward Lucy Cochrane (5.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 blocks).

Top newcomers: Graduate forward Kennedy Dickie, a two-time second-team All-WCC selection, boosts the Portland frontcourt after averaging 9.8 points and 7.8 rebounds last year for WCC rival USF. Guard Kiana Hamilton-Fisher averaged 11.2 points for a 23-win Long Beach State team, and guard Anna Edny averaged 9.0 points and 4.1 rebounds as a sophomore last season at Seattle Pacific. Piath Gabriel, a 6-5 senior center, began her career at powerhouse UConn and played last season at UMass.

Key non-conference games: The Pilots will test themselves right out of the chute, facing San Diego State on Monday and Villanova on Friday, both in Spokane. They get a visit from in-state rival Oregon (Nov 30) and travel to No. 15 Stanford (Dec. 15).

What matters: The Pilots said farewell to a couple of the best players in program history in four-time All-WCC forward Alex Fowler and point guard Haylee Andrews. But Portland remains a contender, led by returning second-team All-WCC selection Maisie Burnham and her fellow junior backcourt mate Emma Shearer, who joined her on this year’s preseason all-conference squad. The Pilots hope Lucy Cochrane returns to form after missing 11 games last season with a foot injury in the wake of averaging an NCAA-leading 3.9 blocked shots the year before.

This is probably the deepest team we’ve had. Our new players and our freshmen are really going to add something to our team. Last year’s group had so much experience together . . . but I’ve been really impressed with our overall talent, for sure.

Head Coach Michael Meek

Liz Smith

T-3. PACIFIC
2022-23: 8-10/6th in WCC, 15-17 overall
Head Coach: Bradley Davis (91-116 in 8th season)

Top returning players: Senior guard Liz Smith (14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 40-percent 3-point), junior guard Anaya James (10.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.5 steals), junior center Elizabeth Elliott (8.3 points, 6.0 rebounds), grad forward Cecilia Holmberg (7.7 points, 3.9 rebounds), senior forward Rosie Schweizer (6.2 points, 3.6 rebounds).

Top newcomers: Junior Endigo Parker, a 6-4 junior forward from Mt. San Antonio JC, and Lauren Glazier, a 6-4 sophomore forward from Washington State, add size up front. The Tigers also signed four freshmen.

Key non-conference games: The Tigers hit the road for games at Washington (Nov. 15) and Arizona State (Dec. 1) and face Butler (Nov. 24) and UC Irvine (Nov. 25) in their own Tiger Turkey Tip-Off event.

What matters: After making a nine-win jump from the year before, Tigers earned respect of the WCC’s coaches, who put them third in the preseason poll. Pacific has a veteran squad with nine returning players who provide balance and size. The Tigers have eight players who averaged double-digit minutes a year ago and a dynamic backcourt in Smith and James. Smith earned first-team All-WCC honors last season and was at her best against Gonzaga, averaging 17 points in a pair of competitive defeats. James has recorded a triple-double in each of her first two seasons and as a freshman in 2021-22 led the team in scoring and put up 31 points against Oregon State.

I think we’re better because we have a really good core group that understands what it takes to get us as far as we did. We really worked on our culture as a team over the summer and we’ve all kind of bought into the hard work that it takes. Now we have the confidence in ourselves and each other that if we rely on each other and push through like we did last year, we can do it again.

Junior center Elizabeth Elliott on what it meant to win twice at the WCC Basketball Championship

Tess Heal

T-3. SANTA CLARA
2022-23: 6-12/tied for 7th in WCC, 15-17 overall
Head Coach: Bill Carr (93-115 in 8th season)
Most recent NCAA Tournament appearance: 2005 (lost 94-75 to Stanford in the first round)

Top returning players: Sophomore guard Tess Heal (17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 85-percent FT, 32 starts), junior forward Olivia Pollerd (10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds), senior wing Lara Edmanson (10.6 points, 5.7 rebounds), senior guard Ashley Hiraki (6.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 32 starts), sophomore guard Marya Hudgins (7.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 11 starts).

Top newcomers: The Broncos added a couple veteran players, including 6-foot graduate forward Keeley Frawley, a former All-WCC freshman at Portland, who played 115 games for the Pilots and averaged 3.8 points and 4.2 rebounds a year ago. Emma Shaffer, a 6-2 graduate forward, started 64 games the past two seasons at Bucknell and averaged 10.5 points and 9.3 rebounds last year. Freshman guard Maddie Naro, whose Beaverton HS team won the Oregon 6A state title her junior season, is the granddaughter of Hall of Fame NBA coach Rick Adelman.

Key non-conference games: The Broncos will take on four Pac-12 opponents, all of them on the road, starting with Cal on Wednesday. They also play Oregon (Nov 18), Oregon State (Dec. 15) and Arizona State (Dec. 30). Over Thanksgiving weekend, SCU treks to Las Vegas to face Boise State (Nov. 24) and Texas Tech (Nov. 25).

What matters: The Broncos have depth and experience, and they have star power in sophomore guard Tess Heal, the Australia native, who burst onto the WCC scene last year by scoring 28 points in her college debut. She was WCC Freshman of the Week 12 times on the way to earning All-WCC first-team honors and WCC Newcomer of the Year. She had 11 games of at least 20 points and scored 39 vs. BYU. Rebounding was a weakness last year and the Broncos hope the addition of Shaffer and Frawley can help there. Santa Clara beat regular-season champion Gonzaga 77-72, getting double-digit scoring from Heal, Hiraki, Hudgins and Pollerd, all back this season.

I came in with no expectations. I didn’t get to do visits. I didn’t get to come over and play or train with everyone because of COVID. The bar was at zero and it was just sort of come in and hope for the best. It was an awesome experience.

Santa Clara guard Tess Heal on her freshman experience

Kasey Neubert

5. SAN DIEGO
2022-23: 1-7/3rd in WCC, 19-14 overall
Head Coach: Cindy Fisher (330-224 in 19th season at USD; 389-305 in 24th season in Div. I)
Most recent NCAA Tournament appearance: 2008 (lost 77-60 to Cal in first round)

Top returning players: Redshirt senior forward Kasey Neubert (9.2 points, 8.2 rebounds), junior guard Kyile Horstmeyer (5.2 points, 2.6 rebounds).

Top newcomers: The Toreros welcome freshman guard Mila Wawszkowicz, who averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds for Australia’s U18 Maitland Mustangs squad. Malia Tharpe, another freshman from Australia, was the 2022 MVP for the Perry Lakes Hawks of NBL1. Dylan Horton, a graduate transfer from Florida A&M, was a second-team All-SWAC pick last season when she averaged 15.8 points and 1.9 steals. Guard Lauren McCall, who was named Idaho’s 5A Defensive Player of the Year, should fit in nicely to the Toreros’ approach.

Key non-conference games: The Toreros travel to Arizona (Nov. 14) before hosting The Dana on Mission Bay Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 24-25), featuring Weber State, UNLV and UC Santa Barbara. USD visits preseason No. 21 USC on Dec. 3.

What matters: The Toreros will try to mesh a large and promising class of newcomers with a few key returning players. Neubert, an honorable mention All-WCC selection, recorded five double-doubles including an eye-catching 18-point, 19-rebound effort in the Toreros’ win over Long Beach State in the WNIT first round. Sophomore guard Veronica Shelley (4.5 points) could make a leap after earning WCC All-Freshman honors last season, when she scored 16 points in the fourth quarter or overtime in a victory vs. Saint Mary’s. Harsimran Kaur, a 6-4 native of India, closed out her sophomore season on a high note with a 10-point, six-rebound performance in the WNIT Super 16 loss to Oregon.

We have a lot of versatility, a lot of length and a lot of depth. They’re doing great, especially our freshmen. They’ve really bought in to understanding defense and I think they were defensive kids before they got to us.

Head coach Cindy Fisher on constructing another defense-minded team

Ali Bamberger

6. SAINT MARY'S
2022-23: 6-12/tied for 7th in WCC, 13-18 overall
Head Coach: Jeff Cammon (First season at SMC; 84-90 in 6 seasons in Div. I)
Most recent NCAA Tournament appearance: 2001 (lost 82-65 to Tennessee in the second round)

Top returning players: Senior forward Ali Bamberger (14.2 points, 8.4 rebounds), senior guard Tayla Dalton (7.4 points), junior guard Hannah Rapp (7.0 points, 5.5 rebounds).

Top newcomers: Ruby Vlahov, a 6-3 freshman forward from Perth, is the daughter of one-time Stanford standout and four-time Olympian Andrew Vlahov. She has spent time playing in both the U.S. and Australia. Emily Foy, a 6-1 freshman guard, also extends the Gaels’ Down Under connection.

Key non-conference games: The Jeff Cammon era tips off Monday afternoon at Grand Canyon before the Gaels return home for games vs. UC Santa Barbara (Nov. 12) and UC Irvine (Dec. 14). Their own Thanksgiving Classic (Nov. 24-25) brings in UT Arlington, Illinois State and North Carolina A&T. The Gaels also visit Cal (Dec. 2) — where Cammon served as an assistant coach for two years — and Washington (Dec. 16).

What matters: The Gaels start anew under first-year coach Jeff Cammon, 42, who guided Long Beach State to a 23-10 record last season, including a 15-game win streak, on the way to Big West Coast of the Year honors. The first Black head coach of the Gaels’ program, his goal is to build “a high-level program at the mid-major level” in Moraga. The Gaels will miss Taycee Wedin, the WCC’s all-time leader in 3-point baskets. But Cammon has a nice building block in senior Ali Bamberger, a two-time first-team All-WCC honoree. She scored a career-high 26 points against Boise State and pulled down 24 rebounds vs. San Diego.

We love him. Besides on the court stuff, you talk about wanting to become a better person, better young women, that’s exactly what he’s trying to do at Saint Mary’s. Basketball’s extremely important — that’s obviously why we’re here. But he cares more about us as people.

Senior forward Ali Bamberger on new head coach Jeff Cammon

Debora dos Santos

7. SAN FRANCISCO
2022-23: 9-9/tied for 4th in WCC, 19-13 overall
Head Coach: Molly Goodenbour (105-111 in 8th season at USF; 153-187 in 11th season in Div. I)
Most recent NCAA Tournament appearance: 2016 (lost 85-58 to Stanford in the first round)

Top returning players: Redshirt junior forward Debora dos Santos (12.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 18 games), graduate guard Jasmine Gayles (10.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, all off the bench).

Top newcomers: Brazilian-born junior guard Luana Leite averaged 10.8 points and 3.2 assists last season for a South Georgia Tech JC program that sent four players to Division I teams. Freja Werth, a 6-1 guard from Sweden, averaged 5.1 points for Albany last season. Sol Castro, a 6-2 senior forward from Argentina, sat out last season at Robert Morris due to injury but averaged 8.4 points and 5.4 rebounds the year before. An intriguing addition is 6-6 Seynabou Thiam, a native of Senegal who averaged 6.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and had a school-record 63 blocked shots two years ago in her lone season at Tarleton State before missing last season with a knee injury.

Key non-conference games: The Dons get their first major test at Arizona State (Nov. 13) and play at home vs. 20-win Colorado State (Nov. 26). They travel to Seattle to face Washington (Dec. 2).

What matters: The Dons once again boast an international blend, with nine foreign players representing six countries and three continents. USF will miss two other talented international players — three-time All-WCC guard Ioanna Krimili of Greece who transferred to Cal, and forward Kennedy Dickie of Canada, now playing at WCC rival Portland. But coach Molly Goodenbour will build around two key players, forward Debora dos Santos, who missed nearly two months last season with a hand injury, and guard Jasmine Gayles, who moves into a starting assignment after earning WCC Sixth Woman of the Year honors last season.

She was our best player. All of our shots ran through her. We have lots of people who are capable of scoring. It just gives everybody the space to step up. There’s a lot of shots to be taken, a lot of holes to be filled. It’ll be exciting to see how everybody steps into those roles.

Jasmine Gayles on how the Dons will respond to Ioanna Krimili’s departure

Jane Nwaba

8. PEPPERDINE
2022-23: 5-13/9th in WCC; 11-19 overall
Head Coach: Kelsey Keizer (1st year, interim)
Most recent NCAA Tournament appearance: 2006 (lost 78-66 to Oklahoma in the first round)

Top returning players: Senior forward Jane Nwaba (9.3 points, 6.1 rebounds), junior guard Helena Friend (6.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 18 games).

Top newcomers: Junior forward Maggie Vick, who played off the bench on Iowa State teams that advanced to the NCAA tournament the past two seasons, is expected to step into a larger role. At least one recruiting site listed her as a top-100 prospect out of high school. Mi’Cole Cayton will play her eighth season of college basketball at the age of 25 after four years at Cal, two at Nebraska and one at Minnesota.

Key non-conference games: The Waves get an early challenge with a game Thursday against a New Mexico team that won 21 games last year. Pepperdine will play three road games in a span of six days, facing Fresno State (Nov. 15), Nevada (Nov. 17) and Boise State (Nov. 20). They welcome Georgetown to Malibu for a Nov. 24 post-Thanksgiving game.

What matters: The Waves were thrown a curve ball during in August when new coach Tim Hayes resigned due to serious illnesses to his mother and brother and the commitment he needed to make for he and his wife to complete an adoption. Kelsey Keizer arrived from Division II Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Missouri and takes over as interim coach. Four of the team’s top scorers are gone, including junior guard Ally Stedman (15.6 points), who transferred to Miami. Nwaba has played 75 games for the Waves and made improvement each season. But Keizer must integrate nine newcomers, including seven transfer players, into the rotation.

I think a lot of times when adversity strikes sometimes people leave. The strong ones stay. I’m really proud of the squad we have that stuck together. I think really special things can be in front of us.

Pepperdine interim head coach Kelsey Keizer on the upheaval the program has experienced

Alexis Mark

9. LMU
2022-23: 4-14/10th in WCC, 7-23 overall
Head Coach: Aarika Hughes (18-42 in her 3rd season)
Most recent NCAA Tournament appearance: 2004 (lost 71-60 to Baylor in the first round)

Top returning players: Senior forward Alexis Mark (11.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals), senior guard Nicole Rodriguez (8.9 points, 39-percent 3-point).

Top newcomers: Guard Da’Ja Hamilton, a graduate transfer from Nevada, was a two-time All-Mountain West Conference honoree and averaged 14.3 points in 2021-22 and 13.9 the season before. Among the other four transfers is senior guard Sofia Inoussa, who scored 28 points in a game last season for New Mexico State. One of five freshmen on the roster, Ella Wedin scored more than 1,000 career points as an Oregon high schooler. She is the younger sister of former Saint Mary’s standout Taycee Wedin, who set the WCC record for career 3-point baskets.

Key non-conference games: The Waves tip off their season on Monday at home against UNLV before visiting Arizona (Nov. 12). Among five other road games, they face former WCC rival BYU in Provo (Nov. 25).

What matters: The Lions, who averaged just 56 points per game last season, hope that Hamilton — who scored 32 points in a game vs rival UNLV — can help give the offense a boost. LMU also needs to improve its shooting and rebounding and with 10 newcomers, their prospects are difficult to define. But Hughes is excited to tinker and piece together a rotation with an assortment of fresh talent, with the hope of beginning a climb from the bottom.

She brings leadership, instinctual decision-making. She extends the defense and she draws a ton of attention. If she wants to play at the next level, whatever that is, we’re really challenging her to be consistent defensively.

Head coach Aarika Hughes on Da’Ja

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