With a 21-9 record last season, the 2022-2023 version of the Charger women's basketball team posted the most wins since the 2017-2018 season and only the second 20-win season in program history. This time around, they look to match those 21 wins, but they must do so with a very different roster. Leading scorer and 1st Team All-Region selection Kyra Duncan (16.8p, 6.6r, 2.0a, 1.9s) graduated and headed to play basketball at Franklin College. Another 1st Team All-Region and All-Freshman selection, who was also the team's second leading scorer and leading rebounder, Jayci Allen (15.1p, 12.5r, 1.8a, 1.4s), left following a stellar Freshman year and is now playing at the University of Northwestern Ohio. But it doesn't end there. Point guard Alexis German (5.3p, 2.6r, 2.1a) is now attending Purdue University-Fort Wayne, forward/center Ellie Fausnaugh (2.7p, 4.5r) is now playing at Goshen College, and forward Leah Thompson (1.1p, 1.8r) is now playing volleyball at Indiana University-Columbus. Those losses put a lot of pressure on the returnees and newcomers to really step it up this season.
Head Coach Ryan Gould is excited about the new group's potential while also being aware of the big shoes that need filled. "We had a really strong season last year, a year in which we played with eight players. Those eight carried a heavy load both on and off the court. They exceeded expectations on the court where they were able to win 21 games and advance to the semi-finals of the District Tournament. That group was also able to win nine Western Conference games and had at least one win against each team in the conference. In addition to the on-court success, we were able to have a team GPA of 3.18 and had multiple student-athletes earn Academic All-MCCAA awards. They raised the bar for our program and this year's team has a lot to live up to."
Of the returnees, all true Sophomores, 5-7 wing Nicole Swain (9.8p, 3.7r, 1.4a) made the biggest impact of the bunch. She brings a lot of energy, toughness, and a versatile defensive presence to the floor. 5-7 wing Samaria Freeman (4.0p, 2.9r) is an extremely active, athletic, and energetic player who will play bigger than she is and hit the boards, plus she can get out and run in transition. 6-0 center Audrey Schmidt (2.2p, 3.4r) adds a strong and physical post presence, while 6-0 front-liner Derriauna Woodson (1.6p, 2.4r) is a versatile and athletic presence who can play forward or center. Another Sophomore, though new to the roster, is 5-8 forward Na'Tori Readus (12.4p, 8.0r) who transferred in following a strong Freshman campaign at Community Christian College in Detroit, Michigan. She brings nice length and activity to the court.
Gould is excited about his core returning group. "Nicole is such a leader for us. She is consistently our hardest worker and most vocal player, and one who will do all of the dirty work that some players don't want to do. She is excellent defensively and does a great job taking opposing guards out of their normal flow. Her offensive game grew a lot during the season and we expect her to pick up from there. She is someone that will lead this team on and off the court. Samaria is an elite athlete who plays really hard. She came a long way last season just by getting experience and is an eager learner. She had some huge plays in conference games including a game-winning basket against Lake Michigan. We have high expectations for Samaria this year. Audrey and Derriauna give us great size in the paint, and with a year of experience under their belts, we expect them to both contribute heavily this season on both ends of the court. Na'Tori adds another veteran presence for us who has a year of college experience. She is a capable shot-maker and adds athleticism to the wing for us. We are excited to have her."
The Chargers also welcome 11 Freshmen newcomers to the roster. 5-10 wing De'Mour Watson (11.9p, 8.4r, 2.7s in 2021-2022) enters from Elkhart High School. She brings a tremendous amount of length, athleticism, and versatility. The backcourt tandem of 5-5 guard Darne Toney (11.9p, 5.0r) and 5-7 guard Nasiya Gause (11.2p, 3.0r, 1119 career points) both attended Lake Station's Thomas A. Edison High School. They are both strong, physical, skillful guards who can each play on or off the ball. Other Freshmen who look to contribute include 5-9 forward/center Trinity Beaugard (Clay High School), 5-5 guard Brooklynn Cooper (John Adams High School), 5-6 wing Paige Lattimore (Rensselaer Central High School), 5-7 wing Bella Mahan (Cascade High School), 5-10 forward/center Beauti Santiago (Thea Bowman Academy), 5-9 forward Kylee Saylor (Oregon-Davis High School), 6-0 center Millie Scorsone (Tippecanoe Valley High School), and 5-4 guard Abby Witt (River Forest High School).
Coach Gould has seen a lot of growth from the Freshman group and has high expectations for them as well. "With this being our first full recruiting class, it has been exciting to get to know these girls and their families throughout the process and great to finally have them on campus. De'Mour Watson has a chance to be a special player for us. She is very creative offensively and will create a lot of mismatches with her skill level. Nasiya Gause and Darne Toney are two talented young guards who will have the ball in their hands a lot for us this year. Both of them are very capable scorers as well. We were able to add some great size inside with Millie, Beauti, Trinity, and Kylee, to go along with some versatile guards like Abby, Bella, Paige, and Brooklynn. Overall, we think this is a really solid class that can combine well with our returnees." Look for this group of newcomers to use a combination of athleticism & skill outside, combined with solid size & strength inside, to wear down opponents and force them to have to defend all areas of the floor.
Gould concluded with a couple keys to the season. "Not only were we able to add quality depth to the roster with a large group of newcomers, our biggest addition is Brandon Bradley, who joined the coaching staff as the Associate Head Coach. Brandon brings a ton of experience as a high school Varsity Head Coach of 13 years, and he is really well-connected in the recruiting world. He has done an amazing job with our players and I could not be more excited to have him with us. Additionally, we expect to be a strong defensive team that will work hard each day. We have the potential to be a very competitive team by the time we reach conference play in January."
