On Monday, November 6th at 5:30 p.m. Pacific, the Washington Huskies women’s basketball program begins its 2023-24 season at HecEd versus Sacramento State.
On Monday, November 6th at 5:30 p.m. Pacific, the Washington Huskies women’s basketball program begins its 2023-24 season at HecEd versus Sacramento State.UW WBB HUSKIES
The Huskies return for Coach Tina Langley’s third season at Mountlake.
Washington is coming off a 2022-23 season that saw the Huskies finish 19-15 overall and 7-11 in the Pac-12 conference play.
The Huskies capped their season with a berth in the NIT post-season tournament, finishing in the tournament’s “Fab Four.”
SACRAMENTO STATE
The Sacramento State Hornets are the reigning Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament champion.
Sacramento State finished with a 25-8 overall record last season, which included being led to the NCAA Tournament by former head coach Mark Campbell, in his second season at Sac State.
Campbell was immediately hired away by TCU to lead their women’s basketball program.
The Hornets are now led by Sacramento State’s Aaron Kallhoff in his first season at the helm of a Division One prigram.
Kallhoff served five previous seasons as a head coach at the junior college level and spent 10 years as an assistant at five Division I programs: Arkansas State, TCU, LSU, Penn State, and BYU.
The Hornets saw major roster changes in the off-season, welcoming nine new players to their roster — eight freshmen and a junior college transfer.
On the other hand, Washington will rely on veteran leadership from juniors Dalayah Daniels and Jayda Noble, as well as senior Lauren Schwartz.
The 2023-24 Preseason All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention player Dalayah Daniels is back for her second season at Washington.
A former transfer from CAL, Daniels started every game for the Huskies last season and recorded eight double doubles.
Last season, Daniels averaged a team-leading 12.6 points and 10.2 rebounds, as well as leading the Huskies in blocks (13) and steals (8).
Lauren Schwartz is also back after earning 2022-23 All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention.
The Huskies “X-factor” player, Jayda Noble, returns after earning 2022-23 Pac-12 All-Defensive Team Honorable Mention.
The Huskies also return their entire #14-ranked sophomore recruiting class, i.e., 5’11” guard
#24 Elle Ladine (6.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game); 5’11” guard #1 Hannah Stines (6.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists); 5’10” guard #5 Teagan Brown (2.0 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists); and 6’1″ wing forward Shayla Gilmer (1.0 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.1 assists). All of whom the Huskies will need to step up with much improved performances this season.
The Washington Huskies also reloaded with talent with the nation’s No. 16 freshmen recruiting class for 2023, per ESPN.
The Huskies added four top freshman players to their roster in 5’7″ guard #0 Sayvia Sellers; 6’0″ guard #13 Ari Long; 5’11” guard #11 Chloe Briggs; and 6’6″ Forward #23 Olivia Anderson.
ESPN Top-100 recruit Sellers is a highly recruited point guard out of Anchorage — the back-to-back Gatorade Player of the Year in Alaska — that is expected to make an immediate impact on the Huskies.
ESPN Top-100 recruit Long (Moreno Valley, Calif.) is a deadly shooter from three-point range but also an all-around guard and playmaker that is a threat anywhere on the floor.
ESPN Top-100 recruit Briggs (Ontario, Calif.) is Southern California’s all-time scoring leader in girls high school basketball, surpassing Cheryl Miller last season.
Washington native Anderson is a 6’6″ versatile forward from Ellensburg that is oozing with potential to be a high impact player for the Huskies.
Prediction
This is both teams’ season opener so there is no (official) track record for either team yet, only exhibition play.
With a new coaching staff and nine new players, Sacramento State may be somewhat of a mystery.