Women’s hoops 2016-17 Season Preview

Winning another West Coast Conference regular season title and playing deep in the NCAA tournament are lofty goals for this year’s BYU women’s basketball squad. The Cougars plan to build on last year’s accomplishments and are aiming to continue the programs’ success and growth heading into the 2016-17 season.

SEASON PROSPECTUS

BYU recorded its 10^th 20-plus win season with a 26-7 record and competed in the NCAA tournament for the 12^th time last year. With a 16-2 mark, the Cougar women won their first WCC regular season title. It’s from that success that the team and staff are looking for more of the same in 2016-17.

“This team has a lot of depth,” BYU head coach Jeff Judkins, said. “We have a lot of kids that hopefully through many years of learning from their coaches will understand that their opportunity will come and they will be able to make the most of it. I’ve seen a lot of improvement in our returners, which we’re excited about. Everyone has to step it up a notch. It’s not on just one person, it’s on all of them.”

Building on her already stellar basketball career, All-American and 2016 WCC Newcomer of the Year, senior Kalani Purcell, anchors the BYU team with a double-double 12.0 points and 12.6 rebounds. She also leads in assists with a 4.7 average. On the national scene, Purcell ended last season ranked second in defensive rebounds per game, fourth in rebounds and fifth in rebounds per game. She also ranked 13^th nationally in double-doubles. Senior Makenzi Pulsipher, an All-WCC Second Team honoree, is back for her final season. Pulsipher started all games in 2016, was the team’s second leading scorer with 12.7 and points, had the most steals on the team with 70 and was the team’s best free thrower, shooting .795 from the line.

Sophomore Jasmine Moody is the third returning starter for the Cougars. She averaged 2.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game last year.

A balanced team offense, a tough defensive presence and a wealth of experience will be keys to the Cougars recording another winning campaign. Juniors Amanda Wayment and Cassie Broadhead will be scoring threats and are solid defenders. Both played in all games last year with Wayment averaging 4.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and Broadhead averaging 3.9 points and 2.0 rebounds a contest.

Other experienced players like seniors Kristine Nielson and Micaelee Orton will also play vital roles in the success of the program. Nielson averaged 2.5 points and 1.0 rebounds while Orton contributed 1.8 points and 1.2 rebounds. MaCayla Hanks, who saw playing time in 12 games her freshman campaign, will be a strong inside player for BYU. She averaged 1.1 points and 1.1 rebounds per contest. Junior Brooke Romney Clawson is back after suffering a lis franc injury to her foot at the beginning of last season. She last played for BYU in 2012-13, competing in 10 games,  averaging 2.6 minutes of playing time and tallying 11 rebounds one assist and one block. She then left to serve a mission to Concepcion, Chile. Haley Rydalch, a 6-foot-3 center from St. George, Utah will also be in the lineup this season. Rydalch (Bodnar) transferred to BYU from Purdue last season, but set out the year due to an injury and because of NCAA transfer rules. She prepped at Desert Hills High School where she was a two-time Region 9 MVP and set the school record for most blocks, a feat she accomplished her sophomore year. Rydalch was a two-time Southern Utah Player of the Year and was named Gatorade Player of the Year in 2014.

Five new faces will be on the Marriott Center floor in 2016-17. Three guards, Liz Eaton, Brenna Chase and Ashton Williams along with forwards Jessica Chatman and Shalae Salmon will all battle for playing time.

Eaton prepped at Maple Mountain High School and led the state in scoring her junior season. She was ranked as one of the top 10 Utah Girls Basketball Guards to Watch by Max Preps.

Chase, a 5-foot-9 guard played at Broomfield High School in Thornton, Colorado. During her junior season, her team won the 5A state championship. She was twice a member of the United States Junior Nationals (USJN) Battle All-Star team.

Salmon is a 6-foot-3 forward from Porirua, New Zealand, where she’s been on the National U16 and U15 teams. In 2015, she competed in the NZ Women’s Basketball Championship League.

Chatman originally signed her letter of intent in November 2013 to begin play in 2014-15, but delayed her start in order to serve an LDS mission in Lansing, Michigan. The 6-foot-0 forward prepped at Union High School in Vancouver, Washington where she garnered three first team all-league citations.

Williams, a 5-10 sophomore guard, from Springfield, Illinois, played her freshman college season at the Air Force Academy in 2013-14 where she played in 13 games, starting in two. She averaged 16.1 minutes of playing time averaging 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. She then left to serve an LDS church mission to the Lima, Peru North mission. Williams prepped at Springfield HS where she was a three-year starter garnering two All-Conference First Team awards. She was a three-time team captain, made the All-Academic Team four straight years and was on the High Honor Roll four years as well.

The Cougars will play another grueling schedule highlighted two opponents that played in last year’s Final Four. In nonconference action, BYU plays just three games in the Marriott Center. In all, the team will battle 11 programs that participated in postseason play last season including three squads that represent power five conferences.

“This year’s schedule is just as difficult as the one we had last year,” said BYU head coach Jeff Judkins.

 “We are excited to be playing some stiff competition in our nonconference portion of the schedule. We will also have a couple of huge home games against Oklahoma, from the Big 12 and Washington, from the Pac-12.”

The Cougar women open up the year with back-to-back road games at nearby Utah Valley University on Nov. 11 and at SEC powerhouse Georgia on Nov. 16. This will be the first time that BYU has played in Athens.

BYU’s home opener is on Saturday, Nov. 19 when Big 12 power Oklahoma makes an appearance in the Marriott Center. The Sooners last played in Provo in 1989. 

Back-to-back tournament play has the Cougar women in Albuquerque for the Thanksgiving holiday and in Maui, Hawaii the following week.

On Friday, Nov. 25, BYU plays St. Joseph’s, one of the three schools participating in the UNM Thanksgiving Tournament. The following day, the Cougars will either play hosts New Mexico or Tulsa.

The Maui Wahine Classic has the BYU women playing UNLV on Friday, Dec. 2 and Oregon Sate on Saturday, Dec. 3. The Beavers advanced to the championship game of last year’s NCAA tournament before losing to UConn.

The popular Kid’s Day event is back this season when the Cougars host Weber State on Wednesday, Dec. 7 in an 11 a.m. tip off. Students from local elementary schools will be cheering on BYU.

Two matchups with in-state rivals are on tap for the Cougars in mid December. BYU is in Salt Lake City taking on Utah on Saturday, Dec. 10. The following Saturday, Dec. 17, the Cougar women are at Utah State in Logan.

Just the third home game in its nonconference portion of the schedule has BYU hosting Pac-12 foe Washington on Dec. 22. The Huskies advanced to the Final Four of last year’s NCAA tournament. Washington last played in Provo in 2010.

As in years past, the West Coast Conference race will be a close one again this year.  Key players are returning to most of the league team’s and any of the top-five teams have a legitimate chance to win the regular season title. BYU enters the conference race as the defending regular season champion.

“This year’s WCC race will be a little different because without travel partners we’ll have a home and an away game each week for the majority of the season,” Judkins said.

“The race for a regular season crown will be wide open this year and we'll need to come prepared and be ready to play each game.”

BYU opens league play at Santa Clara on Dec. 29 before hosting WCC foe LMU, Dec. 31.

On Thursday, Jan. 5, the Cougars are at home playing Saint Mary’s and are at Pacific on Saturday, Jan. 7.

A game at San Francisco on Thursday, Jan. 12 is followed by a home game against San Diego on Saturday, Jan. 14.

The following week, WCC play continues for BYU with a road game at Pepperdine on Thursday, Jan. 19 before the Cougars host Pacific on Saturday, Jan. 21.

They remain at home the following Thursday, Jan.  26, hosting Santa Clara, before taking a quick trip to Los Angeles, for a matchup against LMU, on Saturday, Jan. 28.

A two-game road swing to the Northwest has the Cougar women at Gonzaga and at Portland on Feb. 2 and Feb. 4, respectively.

BYU is back home for two games the second week of February. The team hosts Pepperdine on Feb. 9 and San Francisco on Feb. 11.

The Cougar women make their final road trip of the 2017 league race with a game at San Diego on Thursday, Feb. 16 and at Saint Mary’s on Saturday, Feb. 18.

BYU closes out WCC play at home the last week of February hosting Portland on Thursday, Feb. 23 and Gonzaga on Saturday, Feb. 25.

The 2017 WCC Women’s Basketball Championships are scheduled for March 2-7 in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena.

In preparation for the season, BYU has scheduled two exhibition games in the Marriott Center. The women’s team hosts Westminster on Wednesday, Nov. 2 and Colorado Mesa University on Friday, Nov. 4. Both games tip at 7 p.m., and air live on BYUtv and are simulcast on BYU Radio.