The University of Utah women's basketball program recently celebrated the 2018-19 season with its annual Team Banquet. Pac-12 analyst Kate Scott along with head coach Lynne Roberts handed out team awards and wrapped up what was an outstanding season by the Ute women's basketball program.
In the Books: The Utah women's basketball program wrapped up the 2018-19 season with a 20-10 overall record, finishing sixth in the Pac-12 with a record of 9-9.
Goodbye to the Past, Hello to the Future: The Utes will say goodbye to possibly four seniors as they look to graduate and move on to careers in basketball or their field of study. Erika Bean, Megan Huff and Sarah Porter will all graduate this spring with Daneesha Provo awaiting to hear news on the waiver to petition the NCAA for a sixth year. The quartet has amassed 70+ wins during their four years with Utah and have played in over 7,000 minutes as a unit. While Utah fans will say goodbye to the Ute seniors, they will welcome in three newcomers to the program this fall. Lola Pendande (6-4 | Forward | Almeria, Spain), five-star recruit Kemery Martin (6-0 | Guard | Sandy, Utah) and four-star recruit Brynna Maxwell (6-0 | Guard | Gig Harbor, Wash.) will add to an already young and athletic team for the 2019-20 season.
Looking Forward: For the 2019-20 season, the Utes will be showcasing a mix of new faces and veteran talent. Utah will have one senior in Kiana Moore pending Provo's waiver, who had a breakout season in 2018-19, starting the last 17 games of the year while putting up 10+ points per game, earning a spot on the Pac-12 All-Defense honorable mention team. The Utes will also see the trio of fantastic freshmen, Dru Gylten, Andrea Torres and Niyah Becker, who will enter their sophomore campaigns having played in every single game this past season. The Utes will also see the return of three redshirts from the 2018-19 season in 6-5 forward Maurane Corbin (out with injury in 2018-19), 5-9 guard Julie Brosseau (transferred from Maine) and 6-3 forward Ola Makurat (transfer from Liberty), all itching to get time in a Utah uniform.
Numbers to Remember:
• 1,000: Megan Huff became Utah's 29th 1,000-point scorer and just the third in program history to do it in just two seasons.
• 20: Utah finished the season with 20 wins for the first time in the Lynne Roberts era and the first time since 2012-13.
• 9: Utah won nine Pac-12 games this season, the most in program history since joining the conference in 2011.
• 8: Of the 10 players that were eligible for competition at the beginning of the season, eight of them reached double-figures at least once.
• 6: Utah had six different players reach the 20-point mark in a game this season, the most by one team in the Pac-12 this year.
• 3: Megan Huff was drafted in the third round of the WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty.
Team Awards:
Pac-12 All-Conference (Coaches)
Megan Huff, 1st Team
Kiana Moore, All-Defense Honorable Mention
Dre'Una Edwards, Freshman of the Year, All-Freshman 1st Team
Dru Gylten, All-Freshman 1st Team
Andrea Torres, All-Freshman Honorable Mention
Pac-12 All-Conference (Media)
Megan Huff, 1st Team
Dre'Una Edwards, Freshman of the Year, All-Freshman 1st Team
Dru Gylten, All-Freshman 1st Team
Pac-12 All-Academic
Dru Gylten, 2nd Team
Erika Bean, Honorable Mention
500+ Assists Club
Erika Bean, 542 career assists
1,000 Points Club
Megan Huff, 1,029 points at Utah
Charlene Doi Academic Achievement Award
This award is given out every year to the player who excelled the most in the classroom during the season. Erika Bean maintained a 3.5 cumulative GPA in her four seasons with the Utes in pursuit of a degree in kinesiology.
Fern Gardner Most Inspirational Award
This award is given out every year to a player who embodies what it means to be a Ute. This year's winner, Kiana Moore, showed she would do whatever it took to help the team and continually gave 100-percent to every drill, spring and game she played in. The team participated in "The Program", which is a 48-hour boot camp with retired Navy Seals and she was chosen as the Warrior of the weekend for being fearless, attacking and carrying her team with her.
Weight Room Warrior
This award is given out every season to the player who excels the most in the weight room. Erika Bean had a team-high seven body-weight pull ups, a team-high of 125 pounds on the bench press, 420 pounds on the leg press and increased her vertical jump from the summer to the end of fall by a full two inches.
Army Man Award
This award is given to the player who has racked up the most army men. The coaching staff gives out army men after every game, win or loss, and the players collect them and set them down in the locker room in teh designated "army man" space. The categories are green army men (5 defensive boards, 3 steals or 3 "disruptions), blue army men (3 offensive boards, 3 assists or any screen assists), yellow army men (charges worth five) and red army men (the "fireman" or player of the game). Dru Gylten won the award with 23 charges taken on the season.
