Head coach Shane Clipfell is melding an interesting combination of players for this season's Western Michigan University women's basketball team.
For example, the Broncos have a newbie/veteran… veteran/newbies… veterans…and newbies.
And the Broncos have to replace a graduate (
Kaitlyn Zarycki) who averaged 18.4 points and tied for the team lead with 4.7 rebounds per game.
And some of the returning players are still recovering from injuries. And some of the returning players are possibly changing positions.
It could be a wild season for the Broncos (12-18 overall, 7-11 Mid-American Conference in 2023-24) who open up with an exhibition game against the University of Olivet on Thursday, Oct. 31. The first home game is Monday, Nov. 4 against Arkansas State in the MAC-Sun Belt Conference Challenge. WMU also hosts Michigan State on Nov. 17. The Broncos open MAC play on Jan. 1 at Eastern Michigan University.
''I told our team early in the summer the noticeable difference is that we don't have a 20-point a game type of player,'' Clipfell said. ''But some of the best teams and best results we've had have been when we've had good balance and that's what this team will hang its hat on.''
WMU has a 15-player roster with 10 of those players returning…sort of. Senior 6-2 center
Lauren Audino and sophomore 5-8 guard
McKenna Macon were both injured and redshirted last season. Sophomore 6-4 center
Evyn Carrier played for 12 minutes last season, then also suffered a season-ending injury.
Junior captain Maggie Stutelberg suffered a broken finger early in the season, then during her third game back, suffered a season-ending injury. Another captain is junior
Artemis Kouki.
''I had never had a serious injury in either high school or at WMU,'' she said. ''I guess I might as well get all of them out of the way and move forward.''
She had been getting hot, very hot, when she suffered the season-ending injury, During a six-game stretch, the 5-11 guard, who also played forward, scored in double digits in five of those games.
''As a captain, I said this to the team that I've had a lot of different experiences at WMU,'' she said. ''I've played a lot of different roles and I've seen them through a lot of different lenses and that helps me be able to relate to a lot of the different players on the team.
''I was redshirted my freshman year, so I was on the practice squad, trying to beat the starters. Then I became a starter, then I came off the bench and then I had a season-ending injury.''
Because of injuries to her teammates, she played a lot of forward, which isn't really her position, but she still was able to hit 35 of 79 3-point field goal attempts (.443 percentage), which is her game.
Unlike last year, WMU has an abundance of post players so Stutelberg could be moving back to her guard spot. Besides Audino and Carrier, WMU has newcomer freshman
Sarah Rekowski (6-3) to go along with returning 6-1 junior forward
De'Ahna Richardson, who played in all 30 games last season, starting in nine of them.
Also seeing meaningful minutes last season and who are back are graduate students
Hannah Spitzley and
Megan Wagner and junior
Alli Carlson. Spitzley averaged 8.7 points, Richardson 6.6 points and Wagner had 44 assists. Carlson started 15 games before suffering a season-ending injury. Another returner who played in all 30 games is sophomore
Nile Muguira Orbe.
''Hannah was a proven scorer and De'Ahna was a proven scorer in the second half of the season and we need both of them to pick up where they left off,'' Clipfell said. ''Hannah is healthier now than she has been in a long time which will help her.''
''Marina could count for a lot of points and assists in this system,'' Clipfell said.
This is a system which Clipfell and his players hope lead the Broncos to making the MAC postseason tournament again. They did it last year, and led No. 1 seed Toledo, 42-32, after the first half, but Toledo rallied to win the game. Spitzley led WMU in scoring with 20 points. Richardson added 12 and Kouki 10.
''I think seeing where we can go and seeing that postseason environment adds a level of motivation this season,'' Stutelberg said.
Added Clipfell: ''The thing I would like to remember and focus on is the first 20 minutes against Toledo. That shows what can happen when you put yourself in a position to be in the tournament. We're going to be able to talk about what we did when we got there. Now, can we do it for 40 minutes?''
