Projected finish: 11th
Previous record: 16-15, 6-10 B1G
Key returners:
G- Taniya Page- 5’7
Newcomers:
G- Karisma Oritz, 6’0 (San Jose, California) Fr. (No. 57 on ESPN’s Hoopgurlz)
F- Lauren Ebo 6’4 (Washington, D.C) Fr.
F- Bexley Wallace 6’3 (Pickerington, Ohio) Fr.
Head coach: Coquese Washington 11th season
Entering her eleventh season, head coach Coquese Washington has a lot to like about her team this year. Winning B1G Coach of the Year titles (2012-2013, 2013-2014), Washington has established a great culture for the Lady Lions. She led the Lady Lions to the NCAA tournament in four straight seasons, reaching the Sweet Sixteen twice, trailblazing success for the first African-American head coach in Nittany Lions women’s basketball history. This past season, Penn State reached the WNIT despite finishing 11th in the B1G.
Outlook:
Penn State has the talent to finish in the top 10. Taniya Page is the glue that makes this team so hard to deal with. Penn State, however, ranked second-to-last in field goal percentage (39%) last season. Incoming freshman Karisma Ortiz can give Penn State the boost they need. Ortiz practiced with WNBA guard Danielle Robinson—that is how you want to head into your first collegiate season of basketball. They are pesky and gave a lot of the top teams a very hard time last season. The biggest question is how far can they go? It remains to be seen, but this could be a turning point for Penn State.
Best case scenario: Penn State continues to give teams the pesky play they have, but win these games, which launches them to an NCAA berth.
Worst case scenario: The load would be too much for Penn State and Page and they miss the postseason altogether.