SPOKANE, Wash. – The Whitworth women's basketball team has several new faces as we open the 2023-24 schedule this weekend and Pirate fans can be excused for needing the program to figure out who is on the floor.
But there are also several key players back from last winter when Whitworth finished 10-15 overall and 7-9 in the NWC (5th place). Head coach Kenny Love was grateful for the extra practice sessions this fall to help his group mesh into a coherent unit.
"The addition of the non-traditional practices prior to season has been such a blessing for the group, helping the newcomers shorten the learning curve and having everyone on the same page," said Love, referring to eight extra practice sessions prior to the traditional start date in mid-October.
There are 17 players on Whitworth's roster and nine of them are new to the team. Because of that, Love has relied on the emerging leadership of seniors Dawson Driggs and Kimberly Dewey.
"They have a constant voice throughout our team and use their experience and confidence to bring the other younger players along and breed belief," Love said.
Most of the experience returns in the back court, where Dewey and Tara Kaneshiro are the only two returning starters.
Dewey was the starter at off-guard (2) and was the second-leading scorer (11.3 ppg) for the Pirates. Cheyenne Rodgers played in 19 games as a first-year player last season.
Kaneshiro started 22 games as the point guard (1) last season and averaged 4.2 points and 1.8 assists per game. She will be pushed for time by sophomores Mya Edwards, who was a mid-season addition last winter, and Sydney McLean, who was injured in the 11th game of the season.
Driggs appears primed to become the full-time starter at the swing position (3), where she played in 23 of the games last season with three starts. She could be spotted by any of the other guards listed previously.
First year Pirates Ashlyn Neilsen and Skylar Tuckwood will provide important depth in the back court as well.
Similarly, Alyssa Fitzgerald looks ready to become the starting forward (4) this season. Fitzgerald played a key role off the bench in 2022-23, after taking the 2021-22 season off. Emma Maxwell, a junior transfer from Columbia Basin College, will push for playing time as well.
First year Pirate Zalissa Sanfo, who is 6-1, has earned a starting position in the post (5). She has held up well in preseason scrimmages. Fellow first-year Makhayla Adams will provide strong back-up once she is cleared from injury.
There are four players who are new to the team, but not new to Whitworth. Kaity Barr, Rachel Cram, Abigail Hudson and Lindsey Short will move from volleyball right into basketball once that season is done this month. Cram could have an impact as a guard, while Barr, Hudson and Short will provide strong back up in the forward and post positions.
Love believes that rebounding and ball handling will be the strengths of this year's team, based on the current combination of players.
The Pirates will open the season this weekend in Walla Walla at Whitman College's Kim Evanger Raney Classic. Friday's opponent is Sul Ross State from Texas. The Lobos finished 15-11 last season and made the American Southwest Conference quarterfinals. SRSU is in the process of making the transition to NCAA Division II. Whitworth has never played the Lobos in women's basketball.
On Saturday the Pirates take on UC Santa Cruz, a more familiar non-conference opponent. Whitworth lost 58-57 to UCSC in Santa Cruz last November and has played the Banana Slugs five times since the 2011-12 season. UCSC finished 17-7 last season and compete as part of the Coast-to-Coast conference in NCAA Division III.
Check the women's basketball schedule for live links to this weekend's games.
Whitworth will play five other non-conference games against NCAA Division III opponents. The Bucs face Colorado College and Schreiner (Texas) in a return to Walla Walla for the 2023 Whit Classic on December 8-9. Later, the Pirates will make a trip to Southern California for games at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (Dec. 18), Occidental (Dec. 20) and Chapman (Dec. 21).
The final two non-conference opponents are Walla Walla (NAIA) at home on November 16th and at Northwest Nazarene (NCAA Div. II) on November 18th.
The Northwest Conference schedule will be as tough as ever. The NWC traditionally has several teams regionally-ranked in Division III. Puget Sound and Whitman share the top spot in the NWC preseason coaches poll, with Pacific (Ore.) in third place. Whitworth was picked eighth in the poll by conference coaches. The top four teams will make the 2024 NWC tournament in February.
