2021-22 Loyola Women's Basketball Season Preview
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When Kate Achter was hired as the head coach of Loyola in July of 2016, she immediately went to work on her rebuild. She even branded it: “Turn the Ship.”
It was a ship that needed turning — the cupboard was so bare that the Ramblers went 2-28 and finished 326th in the RPI that season.
Just three years later, Achter led Loyola to its first winning season since joining the Missouri Valley in 2013. The next year, she took the program to its first ever postseason tournament — the 2021 WBI.
Now, as sophomore guard Maya Chandler puts it, “the ship’s turned. We’re full speed ahead.”
Chandler, the reigning MVC Freshman of the Year, joins a hungry core of returners that is ready to take the next step. “The WBI is how you get your foot in the door,” said senior forward Allison Day. “Most teams that play in that … they go on to the WNIT, and then from there it’s the NCAAs. That is where we’re looking, and we hope to make one of those postseason tournaments.”
The Ramblers certainly have the right blend of talent and experience to pull it off. Gone is three-year starter Ellie Rice, but back are 98% of the rest of last year’s minutes.
“Our guard depth is increased from a year ago,” Achter said. “While we're going to miss Ellie and all that she brought to us, I do think that collectively our guards have gotten better over the course of the summer months here and I think they're ready for the challenge.”
It’s a backcourt that’s as experienced as it is deep. In addition to Chandler, that guard depth includes seniors Janae Gonzales and Bre Hampton-Bey and juniors Anna Brown, Sam Galanopoulos, and Jala Johnson.
Johnson, who was impactful in spurts last year but missed significant time with an injury, is fully healthy entering the season. Hampton-Bey and Galanopoulos, the team’s leading returning assisters, both started over half of their games a season ago and should compete for starting backcourt spots alongside Chandler. Hampton-Bey was named to the Missouri Valley All-Newcomer team after transferring from UMass.
The youngest of the group, Chandler may be the emerging star. If she didn’t put the league on notice already with her play last year, it’s only a matter of time.
“The scary thing for her is that she doesn't want to be complacent,” Achter said. “There are expectations because of how she finished last year, but I think she's really embraced those.”
Chandler entered March last year averaging 7.6 points, 0.9 assists, and 0.8 steals per game, but in seven games in college basketball’s most important month those figures rose to 11.4, 2.3, and 1.3. The 5-foot-7 guard hopes to jump from Freshman of the Year to an All-Conference player as a sophomore, and she has the potential to be the first Loyola guard to earn first team All-MVC honors.
The Ramblers do bring back one All-MVC first teamer in Day. The 6-foot-1 forward has developed into the team’s focal point on offense, although she’s too humble to label herself that way. “Being the go to person — I would never really call myself that,” she said. “But I like that people feel like they can rely on me. That gives me confidence, and they know I'm gonna make the right read.”
Day led the Ramblers in scoring and rebounding last season at 11.7 and 6.9, respectively, ranking in the top five in the Valley in the latter. She needs 169 points to become the 27th member of Loyola’s 1,000-point club.
Day also finished second in the league in field goal percentage at 55.5% last year, and she even knocked down six threes after combining for three in her first two seasons. She hopes to expand that range again this season.
“I've been improving my outside game — not just sticking in the paint because people know that I can score in there,” Day said.
“I've seen her knock down threes with hands in her face since the summer,” Chandler added.
It’s been Day’s leadership that her coach has been most impressed with. “Allison Day looks like a senior … she's got the respect of all of her teammates,” Achter said. “When she speaks, it means something … they've got really good rapport and they trust Allison.”
Fellow senior Kat Nolan returns for a fifth season after starting half of the team’s games last season and will again be a key piece in the frontcourt. Lengthy Missouri Valley All-Freshman team honoree Sitori Tanin is back to provide valuable rim protection, as is junior Julia Hoefling. Both finished last season in the top five in the conference in block rate.
“[Hoefling has] kind of been like the iron woman because she's fought through injuries, she's fought through some illnesses, and she's finally healthy,” Achter said. “Every day you know what you get from her … she produces consistently for us.”
Day has seen growth this summer in her frontcourt mate’s offensive game as well. “Julia has been really physical in the post and has been finishing at a high efficiency,” Day said.
The biggest addition to this year’s squad will be grad transfer Riley Blackwell, a four-year player at Northern Illinois who will bring a unique look to the Ramblers.
“Riley's really versatile because she can play both post and guard, and I know when she's in the post it'll be hard to match up against her,” Chandler said. “She's a really active shooter from the three-point line, and she's got a lot of good moves on the inside.”
“Riley is gonna be like a utility player for us — she goes back and forth right now between playing a stretch four and playing the three,” Achter added. “She's a pretty big wing, which helps us in our league … and we love her versatility, being able to step outside and go off the bounce against some fours in our league that might not be as mobile as she is.”
Achter also praised her 6-foot-1 forward’s passing ability and basketball IQ and noted that the fifth-year “has come in and just given us a dose of maturity and experience.”
Loyola adds three freshmen to the mix this season as well. Forward Destiny Jackson will bring rebounding ability at 5-foot-10 as what Achter calls an undersized “tweener” at the four. Guard Maddie Scarborough will stretch the floor as an efficient long-range shooter. And while Trinity Clinton is battling injuries early on, Achter is excited to see what she can do in the open floor once healthy.
“She’s a big, explosive, strong guard,” Achter said of Clinton. “She's a playmaker, and she's just really good with the ball in space.”
When the team’s leadership committee — captains Day, Galanopoulos, Hampton-Bey, and Hoefling as well as Brown, Johnson, and Chandler — met to discuss goals, they set their sights on a top-four finish in the Valley.
“We've got enough talent to do it,” Achter said. “The difference this year is that they actually believe that they belong. I don't have to convince them of that on a daily basis; it's just part of who they are.”
There’s little doubt that the Ramblers belong in any conversation about Missouri Valley contenders. They’ll get a chance to prove it beginning on December 31, when they open up league play at two-time reigning champ Missouri State.
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also buy Her Hoop Stats gear, such as laptop stickers, mugs, and shirts!
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