SPOKANE, Wash. – For the first time as head coach at Whitworth, Joial Griffith will direct an experienced and veteran roster of women's basketball players in 2021-22. Griffith and the Pirates hope that pays dividends at the end of the year.
Even though 11 of the 14 players are returnees, including all five starters from last season, not all is status quo for Whitworth after the Bucs finished 4-4 during the COVID-19 season of 2020-21.
"Last year we did not play as fast as I was hoping and this year I would like to pick up the tempo on both ends," said Griffith, who is 31-27 after three seasons. "We have been working hard on being a better defensive team. And we want to continue to rebound well, which was an area of strength last year."
Megan Dorney, Quincy McDeid and Talia Brandner started all eight games last season. Macey Morales and Devyn Cope also appeared in all eight games, with multiple starts. That group of five figures to comprise the starting lineup when the Pirates open the season this weekend by hosting the Quality Inn Oakwood Whit Classic.
With 11 total returnees on the roster, Griffith believes that will give this year's newcomers space and time to grow as players, rather than get thrown into the fire right away like previous incoming classes.
"Our roster will allow the new players room to develop and learn from the veterans, who will get the lion's share of minutes," Griffith said.
Dorney and Cope will hold down the starting roles in the post. Dorney led Whitworth in scoring (12.4 ppg) and field goal percentage (.532) last season. She was strong at the free throw line, leading the team in makes (33) and attempts (42) for a percentage of .786. Cope started three of the eight games and contributed 4.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Genevieve Symons cannot be counted out of potentially starting either. She played in all eight games last season and averaged 1.4 points and 2.3 rebounds as the tallest player on the team. Olivia Mayer, who spent the 2020-21 school year at Washington State, is the newcomer most likely to see minutes in either post position.
Quincy McDeid is heading into her third season as a starter on the wing. She averaged 12.1 points per game and led the team in rebounds per game (7.1) last season. McDeid put up 14.4 points per game and made 39% of her three-pointers in 2019-20.
Madison Hagen will spell McDeid this season. Hagen played in six games last year after transferring from Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Dawson Driggs will also be a factor on the wing. She appeared in seven games in 2020-21 in a couple of roles.
Brandner and Macey Morales will comprise the back court tandem. Brandner scored 11.1 points per game and made 11 three-pointers last year, tying McDeid for the team lead in that category. Morales is transitioning back to basketball after playing soccer this fall. She started seven of the games last year, put up 9.9 points and led the team with 26 assists.
Kimberly Dewey will back up Brandner after appearing in seven games during her first season at Whitworth. Tara Kaneshiro will back up Morales at the point following a five-game showing in 2020-21. Taylor Smith is a program veteran who will see time at shooting guard as well.
Katie Jo van den Bogaert and Ava Dennis will provide quality depth for both guard spots.
Whitworth got a taste of competition last weekend with an exhibition game at Eastern Washington University. The Pirates were slow out of the gate, falling behind by 21 points at halftime. However, they played the NCAA DI Eagles evenly in the second half.
"I learned how competitive this team is and the fight they have, no matter the score, from watching that game," Griffith said of the 80-59 loss to the Eagles. "If we get out in transition, we have a chance to make things simpler from an offensive standpoint. We have some work to do defensively still, but when we do lock in we can be disruptive for our opponent."
Even though the result from the EWU game does not officially count toward this season, it is indicative of the kind of schedule Griffith put together in preparation for Northwest Conference competition. This weekend the Pirates will battle Montana Western and Southern Oregon, a pair of strong NAIA programs. Whitworth follows with a trip to Carroll, another powerhouse NAIA team in Montana. The Pirates will spend Thanksgiving in California competing against three top contenders for the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics Conference. Whitworth's final non-conference game is at NCAA Div. II Central Washington.
"Our non-conference schedule is tough by design," Griffith said. "All of our opponents will show us different lineups and styles of play that will prepare us for NWC games. Also, with most of the games away from home, we will be accustomed to battling on the road and hopefully grinding out some wins."
The Pirates hope to be in the thick of the chase for a spot in the NWC post-season tournament. Whitworth was picked fifth in the preseason coaches poll and the top four teams in the standings make the conference tournament. Whitman, champions in 2019-20, was picked first in the poll with eight of nine first place votes.
