Youthful Mountaineers Gear Up for 2015-16 Season

A quick glance at the 2015-16 West Virginia University women’s basketball roster and fans will see a lot of new faces. There’s 11 newcomers for coach Mike Carey’s squad this season, which makes the Mountaineers the sixth youngest team in the country when WVU opens the season against Delaware State on Saturday. Tipoff for the season opener is set for 7 p.m. and admission is free courtesy of United Bank.

Luckily for Carey, the Mountaineers traveled and played teams in London, Barcelona and Madrid this summer (as permitted by the NCAA every four years). The young team gained valuable playing time and completed the trip 4-0.

“I think the European trip helped simply because we had 10 days of practice leading into that trip to implement our concepts, philosophy and some of the drills that we do,” said Carey.

Perhaps a good omen for the Mountaineers, each of Carey’s teams that have participated in an overseas trip have reached the NCAA Tournament that season.

While Carey has been complimentary of his youthful roster during the preseason, he’s expects his four returning veterans in Bria Holmes, Lanay Montgomery, Jessica Morton and Teana Muldrow to step up their leadership responsibilities.

“Our veterans need to lead,” Carey exclaimed. “We had three great seniors that did something well for our team. Linda Stepney broke the press, Averee Fields scored and was a leader and Crystal Leary was our hustle player that dove on the floor. These upperclassmen need to show the younger plays this is how you’re supposed to play. They need to become leaders on the floor, as well as off the floor.”

Holmes Ready for Senior Season

Holmes, a two-time unanimous All-Big 12 First Team honoree and Preseason All-Big 12 selection, enters her senior season with 1,412 points, which is 17th all-time at West Virginia. Last season, the New Haven, Connecticut, native tallied 716 points, which ranked second all-time in a single season only behind Rosemary Koisorek’s 730 points scored in 1991-92. Holmes ranked in multiple Big 12 statistical categories and eventually earned WBCA All-America Honorable Mention. This past summer, she was invited to the USA Basketball Pan American Games and World University Games Team Trials in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Many WNBA mock drafts project Holmes to be a first-round selection in 2016.

“I think Bria Holmes is going to go down as one of the best players to ever play at West Virginia University,” said Carey. “With that being said, I need her to step up and do other things this year. I need her to be a team leader on the floor and make everybody around her better. There are some things she’s got to do for us like getting on the boards and improving her shooting percentage. She spent this summer working on that. I think she’s going to have a great year. She has come a long way, and I think she has a lot of basketball ahead of her after her senior year. We are very proud of her.”

Montgomery Improves Offensive Game

Perhaps one of last season’s biggest stories was the emergence of center Montgomery. In her first year as the everyday starter, the 6-foot-5 center deflected a Big 12-leading 124 shots and pulled in 7.7 rebounds, which ranked fifth in the conference. The Pittsburgh native added four points per game offensively, but needs to improve on that mark this season. Montgomery spent the majority of her summer improving her offensive game, especially her hook shot.

“She’s under control. Her footwork is better, and she’s stronger,” Carey noted. “Hard work does payoff. She’s a perfect example of someone who got in the gym this summer and was determined to get better, and she got better.”

Muldrow Changes Roles

After a solid rookie season primarily as a guard, Muldrow’s role shifted this season due to a torn ACL of backup center Kayla Montgomery. Muldrow will now step in as the backup center and also will play in the four position. The East Orange, New Jersey, native has steadily improved her confidence, and the coaching staff is expecting her to make a significant impact this season.

“Teana is very physical and that’s why we’re able to move her to the four/five position,” said Carey. “She’s very physical, and she likes contact, and because of that she can make that transition. When she’s the backup center, we don’t want her to play like a center. We want her to play like a guard. Now, the center has to defend a guard. We want Teana to use her quickness and her face up ability.”

Roberson Back to the Hardwood

Senior Arielle Roberson is expected to fill in nicely after graduating from Colorado in the spring. The graduate transfer missed her senior year with the Buffalos after tearing her ACL. During the 2013-14 season, she led Colorado in scoring and rebounding with 12.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. In 2013, the San Antonio, Texas, native was tabbed the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

“She hasn’t played in a year and a half, so it’s going to take some time,” Carey said. “She’s not used to the contact. She’s not used to how physical it is and that type of stuff right now. Once she gets used to that and gets her niche and confidence back, she’s very skilled. She wants to win, get better and is a great team player.”

Fresh Faces

WVU’s team consists of eight freshmen – the most ever in the Carey era. Ideally, freshmen would sit and gain experience from veterans, but this season coach Carey will rely heavily on his underclassmen.

“We need immediate help from Katrina Pardee, Tynice Martin, Alexis Brewer and Anja Martin,” said Carey. “It would be nice for them to come in and sit behind people, but we don’t have that luxury, because we have a lot of new players.”

Figuring Out the Point

One of this year’s biggest questions for the Mountaineers will be finding the replacement for four-year starting point guard Linda Stepney. Senior Jessica Morton has shifted roles from shooting guard to serving at the point, while sophomore Chania Ray may also fit in at the point guard position. However, Ray is not eligible to play until late December after transferring from Florida State in the spring. Freshmen Yassemeen “Yazzy” Sa’Dullah, Lauren Saiki and Olivia Seggie also could see playing time in that position.

“We’ve always had great point guards here,” said Carey. “I would say in 14 years, we’ve been set at the point guard position. This is the first year we have not. We’re going to have to play the point guard position by committee. We have to see who is not going to turn it over, who’s going to defend and get us in our sets. Right now, I don’t have a clear frontrunner.”

Scoring Threats

Coach Carey’s teams have been known for their physical and hardnosed defense. But this season, the Mountaineers are going to be more explosive from an offensive standpoint. One of the team’s goals this offseason was to bring in players that could score from every position.

“I think we can score. I think teams will have to guard all our players, because you can’t sag off with anybody,” said Carey. “With that being said, we’ve got to get better spacing and understand the game a little bit better and understand when to take the shot during critical parts of the game. That’s all going to come as we get into the season.”

Rebounding a Key Emphasis

Rebounding will need to come from every position this season. With Montgomery as the go-to center, Carey noted WVU needs its perimeter players to play a critical part in corralling the basketball.

“Again, we’re not big inside. Rebounding really concerns me this year, especially in Big 12 play because everybody is so big. That’s why our guards have to get involved in rebounding. Bria Holmes has got to get involved. Another player we have that I think can be a really good rebounder on both ends is Tynice Martin. We need those players on the perimeter to get involved with rebounding.”

Looking at the Schedule

There are 10 teams on the Mountaineers’ schedule that reached the postseason last year, and that will be an early test for the young squad. West Virginia’s first test will be a matchup at Gonzaga on Nov. 22, as part of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Basketball Challenge. The Bulldogs reached the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 last season and were just a few points away from clinching an Elite Eight berth. West Virginia also faces Pac-12 foe Southern California (Nov. 23) in the Hall of Fame Challenge and Big Ten opponent Indiana on Dec. 21 in the Florida Sunshine Classic in Winter Park, Florida. Another quality team in James Madison will play the Mountaineers on Dec. 20 in the Florida Sunshine Classic.

“In the long run, it’s going to help us as a team when we get into Big 12 play,” said Carey. “People have to understand that we are the sixth youngest team in the country. Right now, our young players don’t know how to play hard, the speed you need to go and don’t understand how physical it is. As the year goes on, we’ll become a better team.”

The Big 12 Conference

West Virginia was projected to finish sixth in the Big 12, as voted by the league’s coaches. Baylor once again received the top nod, while Texas and Oklahoma rounded out the top three. Iowa State and TCU were selected fourth and fifth, respectively, followed by WVU. Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech and Kansas rounded out the projected order of finish.

“Baylor and Oklahoma have a lot of veterans returning,” noted Carey. “Texas has talent and veterans back. I agree with the three top teams. How are they going to fall at the end of the season? I don’t know. From there, there are a lot of teams that are going to be balanced. It depends on who’s playing well and who gets their players to do what they need them to do.”

Upcoming Events

Related News

Related Videos

Promotional Background Photo

Footer