Expectations High With Practice Underway

SEATTLE – The Husky women’s basketball team is back at work preparing for the 2014-15 season. The Dawgs began practice last week as they get 30 official practices before their first game, at Oklahoma on November 14.

Expectations are high for a Husky squad that returns four starters, including perhaps the best backcourt in the country, All-Pac-12 guards Jazmine Davis and Kelsey Plum. The Dawgs also return forwards Aminah Williams are Talia Walton who helped Washington to a third-straight 20-win season and a run to the quarterfinals of the WNIT.

Although it was an exciting season that included postseason, the Dawgs fell short of their preseason goal of returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. That will be the task this season as Washington competes in a wide open Pac-12 that has no clear favorite, but plenty of depth.

A week and a half into practice, head coach Mike Neighbors is encouraged with the Huskies progress.

“You certainly start to measure with where you were at this time last year and I think we are way ahead,” said Neighbors. “Certainly conditioning wise. Strength coach Lauren McGuigan has done an excellent job with their bodies. Their strength and conditioning is ahead of where we have ever been to start the season. They had a great off-season. She had a great off-season. The extra depth helped us. Having 14 bodies has helped us.”

Depth and injuries were a problem last season, but those concerns have been addressed. The Dawgs now have a full roster of 14 players and injuries are at a minimum. Davis suffered an offseason ankle injury, but will be back to practice full-time next week. She was limited in the early season, although Neighbors mentioned if there was a game tomorrow, she could play.

Reserve guard Heather Corral is still recovering from the knee injury that kept her out of conference play last year, while freshman Hannah Johnson is recovering from a back injury that will keep her out a few more weeks.

On the positive, Neighbors has been encouraged with redshirt sophomore Katie Collier who had a full healthy offseason for the first time since signing with the Dawgs.

“The benefit of having a whole off-season, she has never had that,” said Neighbors. “She came in and was hurt, she came in kicking leukemia’s butt. Now, she has no brace on, no tape on any part of her body. At this time last year, she looked like robo-cop. Just her overall presence on the court has been noticeable.”

Neighbors has also been encouraged with the progress of reserve post player Mathilde Gilling, who spent the summer playing with the Danish National Team.

“I’ll tell you Mathilde’s off-season with the Danish National Team gave her a lot of confidence,” said Neighbors. “She is going from a sophomore to a junior and you always see a lot of advancement in that year.”

The advancement of those two players along with the return of Chantel Osahor will give the Dawgs frontcourt depth behind Williams and Walton they have not experienced in recent years.

Williams enters the season just 169 rebounds shy of the UW all-time record, something definitely in reach, considering she has had 350+ each of the past two years. Meanwhile, Walton continues to grow as a player and will be counted on as the all-important third scorer, while also nearing her own school record for blocked shots.

The backcourt is loaded with Davis and Plum, although the Dawgs will need to replace the 37 minutes per game lost to the graduation of Mercedes Wetmore. Davis can become the first Husky to ever earn four All-Pac-12 First Team honors for the Dawgs, while also becoming the all-time leading scorer at UW with just 276 more points.

Plum set the UW single-season and Pac-12 Freshman scoring records last season, but with another offseason in the gym is ready to take her game up even another level.

“When fans see Kelsey for the first time, they are going to notice a change in her physical appearance,” said Neighbors. “She was dedicated in the weight room and training room all offseason. She is a step quicker and looks great. Really, the whole team looks great and Lauren deserves an award, whatever award they give, she deserves it.”

To replace the minutes lost by Wetmore, the Dawgs will look to some newcomers, while also have the option of playing Walton on the wing with the improved depth inside. Luckily, Washington has three key additions that can play guard with redshirt freshman Brianna Ruiz and true freshmen Kelli Kingma and Khalia Lark.

Ruiz is all the way back from her ACL injury and provides shooting from the perimeter. Kingma is the younger sister of Husky great Kristi Kingma and has a game to match. Lark was a late signee and provides a slasher from the wing.

“The freshmen readiness of the Kelli and Khalia has been noticeable,” said Neighbors. “They came in prepared. They did their homework. They were ready to go the second they stepped on the court.”

It’s early, but excitement is building for the Dawgs who have been on the cusp of a breakthrough in recent seasons. Having a head coach through his first year in charge also helps.

“I think that we are ahead of this time last year,” said Neighbors.  “I don’t know where that puts us in terms of being ready to play our opening game against Oklahoma but I feel really good about the depth and the maturity of our upper-classmen and their leadership. Last year, let’s put it this way, I made 418 mistakes and at this point I have only made eight or nine. I think we are all better through a year of experience.”