Pac-12 Preview: Will 7 teams make the NCAA tournament again?
By Ben Dull
Washington Huskies
Any program would be hard-pressed to compete at the same level after losing Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor. Head coach Mike Neighbors also moved on, accepting the head job at Arkansas. Jody Wynn now steps in, joining Mark Trakh as one of two new head coaches in the conference for ’17-’18. With Wynn comes an entirely new coaching staff. The Huskies to have five juniors/seniors on this season’s roster along with their six freshmen and two sophomores.
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Numbers & notes
29-6 overall in ’16-’17, 15-3 (T-2nd) in Pac-12, eliminated in Sweet 16 by Mississippi State
Washington was picked 12th in the preseason Pac-12 media and coaches polls.
The Huskies also lost their third-leading scorer, who transferred to Arizona.
Two of Neighbors’ former assistants are now on the Arizona staff — head coach Adia Barnes and assistant coach Morgan Valley.
Associate Head Coach Derek Wynn spent his last eight at Long Beach State. Wynn is the husband of Jody. The two have been coaching together since 2000.
Assistant coaches Michelle Augustavo and Paul Reed also coached under Wynn at Long Beach State.
Departures
Kelsey Plum — ’16-’17 All-Pac-12, Pac-12 Player of the Year, 1st Team AP All-American, selected with #1 overall pick in 2017 WNBA Draft by the San Antonio Stars
Chantel Osahor — ’16-’17 All-Pac-12, 2nd Team AP All-American
Aarion McDonald — transferred to Arizona, will sit out the season, Pac-12 All-Freshman team, 3rd leading scorer behind Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor in ’16-’17)
Katie Collier — 6.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 22.7 MPG (32 starts)
Heather Corral — 5.2 PPG, 41 3PM, 18.1 MPG (12 starts)
Brianna Ruiz and Kelli Kingma both retired (injuries)
Returners
Natalie Romeo, G (Sr) — 9.3 PPG, 38.8 3PT% (94-242), 33.4 MPG (33 starts)
Hannah Johnson, F (Jr) — 16.5 MPG, played in all 35 games (6 starts)
Deja Strother, C (Jr) — played in 25 games
Mai-Loni Henson, F (So) — played in 31 games
Amber Melgoza, G (So) — played in 25 games
Mackenzie Wieburg, G (Sr) — played in 24 games
Jenna Moser, G (Sr) — played in 9 games
“We’re in an amazing city that really loves and embraces women’s basketball,” Wynn said at Pac-12 media day. “So we have a ton of people that really understand this transition and what we’re going through right now, to really let our players know that it’s a phenomenal opportunity to play in the No. 1 conference in America on such a great stage in an amazing city for an awesome university and why not them.”
Fresh faces
Fapou Semebene, F (1st-Team All-League as senior, helped Fairfax HS in California to an Open Division title)
Kierra Collier, G (Kansas City Metro Area Player of the Year, Missouri Class 5 All-State as a junior)
Khayla Rooks, F (helped Mission Hills HS in California to four consecutive San Diego section titles, 1st Team All-State by Cal-Hi Sports)
Giga Garcia, F (redshirted last season due to injury, Sacramento Bee All-Metro Player of the Year as a senior for CK McClatchey in Sacramento)
Alexis Griggsby, G (CIF-SS All-Open Division for Sierra Canyon HS in California, four-year team captain)
Missy Peterson, G (four-time All-Wesco for Edmonds-Woodway in Washington)
We have five freshmen, three I brought in late and two that signed with the former staff in the fall last fall,” Wynn said. “They’re going to be thrown into the fire right away. We only have two active seniors on the roster right now. So a lot of youth. They bring a lot of spunk, a lot of energy.
“Kierra Collier is a guard out of Kansas City, and she’s athletic, defensive guard. A long lefty that creates a lot of offense through her defense. So she’s a pretty special talent. I will say that Missy Peterson, a guard that we brought in late that has a really good IQ for her age, she understands how to make people better around her. But, honestly, all five of them bring something valuable to the table. Khayla Rooks is a high-IQ kid that can play all over the basketball court.”
5 games to watch
November 19 @ Ohio State, 8:00 AM PST
November 25 v. Texas (in Las Vegas), 1:15 PM PST
January 7 v. Colorado, 2:00 PM PST (Washington Live Stream)
January 28 v. USC, 2:00 PM PST (Washington Live Stream)
February 4 @ Arizona, 11:00 AM PST (Arizona Live Stream)
Fans can get an early look at this Washington squad against top-tier competition in Ohio State and Texas. Once Pac-12 play begins, look ahead to matchups with Colorado and USC — both teams looking to improve upon last season’s finish near the bottom. The Huskies travel to Arizona February 4th — the program now home to two former assistants and a member of last season’s All-Pac-12 Freshman Team. If you’re hoping to find the Huskies on TV this year, there will be plenty of chances. 13 of their Pac-12 games will be available on the Pac-12 Networks.