2025-26 Atlantic 10 preview

“It’s an incredible legacy,” VCU head coach Beth O’Boyle told The IX Basketball. “You think about the coaches and the previous student-athletes and just the level of play that the A-10 has been a part of in the last 50 years. You’re talking about helping to create the footprint of women’s basketball.”

Saint Joseph’s head coach Cindy Griffin is going into her 25th year as head coach at the school. She has also been a player and graduate assistant for the Hawks. 

“It’s hard to even wrap my head around it, that I’ve been part of it [the A-10] for so long as a player and now as a coach,” she told The IX Basketball. “… I think it just is a testament to the consistency and the competitiveness of the league. And I’m honored. I’m honored to be able to have my footprint on that as a player and as a coach.” 

Rhode Island head coach Tammi Reiss believes the A-10 will be very competitive this season. 

“I think the top six schools could really vie for a championship,” she told The IX Basketball. “… And then the middle is extremely competitive. I think the people coming up the rear are obviously trying to get better, and they’re rebuilding. But those top schools, it’s a bloodbath when you have to compete day in and day out. And I think it’s great for the league.

“I’m just proud of the league. I’m proud of how people schedule in the offseason. I’m proud of who we play in the nonconference. And it just prepares us to get ready for battle. And putting multiple bids in the NCAAs is just a goal of every coach and every president and every AD [athletic director] of our league. … We want a multi-bid league women’s basketball. And we had it last year, and that’s our goal every year.”

Let’s break down what each team looks like heading into this season, in alphabetical order. You can click the links below to skip to specific teams. 

All names, positions and heights are from team websites, and statistics are from College Basketball Reference unless otherwise hyperlinked. (Note: there may be small differences across sources because some A-10 teams played at least one non-Division I opponent last season, and certain sources only count games against Division I opponents.)

Davidson | Dayton | Duquesne | Fordham | George Mason | George Washington | La Salle | Loyola Chicago | Rhode Island | Richmond | St. Bonaventure | Saint Joseph’s | Saint Louis | VCU

Davidson

2024-25 record: 19-14 (13-5 A-10, 3rd)

Preseason ranking: 3rd

Percentage of minutes returning: 62.6% (1st)

Percentage of points returning: 63.5% (1st) 

Key returners (last season’s stats):

G Charlise Dunn, 6’2: 12.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks. All-Conference second team. 

F Candice Lienafa, 5’11: 7.4 points and 3.6 rebounds. All-Rookie Team. 

G Katie Donovan, 5’11: 10.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists

Key losses (last season’s stats):

G Issy Morgan, 5’10: 9.7  points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists. All-Conference third team. 

Newcomers:

• G Elena Alvarez Castellanos, 5’6 
• F Ines Garcia Monje, 6’2
• G Angeliki Ziaka, 5’9
• F Asha Nightingale, 6’1

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 3 at Mississippi State

Nov. 8 at Florida Gulf Coast 

Nov. 20 vs. Miami (WBCA Showcase)

Nov. 22 vs. Baylor (WBCA Showcase)

Dec. 7 vs. Ball State 

Dec. 17 vs. High Point 

Dec. 21 vs. N.C. State 

Head coach: Gayle Fulks, 9th season

Coach’s perspective:

We’re playing seven teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last year. … Starting with three in a row. … We’re not shying away from that being a goal for this year’s team is to be playing in the NCAA Tournament in March. But playing teams that have played and tasted that, and just knowing that that’s where we wanna be is what really excites me … I think we’re gonna get a lot of those tests early that’ll prepare us for A-10 conference play as well. But opening at Mississippi State’s a tall task for such a young team, but our team’s very excited about it. Combined with getting an opportunity to be playing in the WBCA Showcase against some of the nation’s best teams. And then an unbelievable opportunity to play N.C. State on our home floor to end … [nonconference] play. … It will actually end up being a nationally televised game. … So I just think that it’s a very balanced schedule, a lot of good tests. But it should give us a lot of exposure to getting a chance to kinda grow up this season before conference play starts.

I think everything starts with Charlise Dunn. Obviously, [All-Conference] first team preseason, All-Defensive preseason. And her development last year was a little short-changed for her, just coming back from the injury that she sustained the year before. And so this year, she had a more traditional offseason that allowed her to really get comfortability in her game and grow her game this kind of last couple of months. And so I’m really expecting her to take a big step. And we need her to. She’s our only senior. I think that Katie Donovan has shown to be a really important player for us, just in her versatility and ability to do a lot of things at a really high level and be very steady and consistent. And [I’m] expecting her to take those next steps along with, I would say Candice Lienafa and Kyra Bruyndoncx. Both were on the All-Rookie team, Candice becoming [All-Conference] third team preseason. I think both of those guys have had tremendous offseasons where they’ve gotten a lot of valuable experience and been able to kinda grow their games. And so, expecting those two to step into really featured roles, or more consistent roles for us. Both of them did not play as consistently as I’m expecting them to play this year.

Dayton

2024-25 record: 18-13 (11-7 A-10, 6th)

Preseason ranking: 5th 

Percentage of minutes returning: 45.0% (6th) 

Percentage of points returning: 39.0% (6th)

Key returners:

G Nicole Stephens, 5’7: 6.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals  

Key losses:

G Ivy Wolf, 5’8: 15.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals. All-Conference third team. 

F Arianna Smith, 6’2: 12.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals. All-Conference second team. 

G Rikki Harris, 5’10: 7.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals 

Newcomers:

• G Maliyah Johnson, 6’1
• G Jordyn Poole, 5’7
• C Fatima Ibrahim, 6’3
• F M.G. Talle, 6’2

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 3 at Illinois State 

Nov. 11 at Xavier 

Nov. 16 vs. Belmont 

Nov. 28 vs. Butler (Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off)

Nov. 29 vs. Kansas (Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off)

Dec. 14 at Purdue 

Head coach: Tamika Williams-Jeter, 4th season

Coach’s perspective:

Our team is talented, but we’re inexperienced. And I think for us, that’s something where we will have to grow as the season goes on. Of course, in the … [nonconference], we definitely want to win games just like everybody else, but the one thing that has to be absolute for us is we have to continue to get better. You cannot fake experience. 

Our team last year, there were games they could gut out defensively with Ivy [Wolf] and Rikki [Harris] and Nani [Arianna Smith] and Shannon Wheeler and Nicole [Stephens], because they had a million games underneath their belt. I don’t have that luxury this year. I have three players-ish that have been at other universities who are here who’ve played 25+ minutes every night. And that’s Maliyah Johnson. That’s Fatima [Ibrahim] and Nicole [Stephens]. Nayo, here and there, Nayo Lear. But for the most part, everyone else has not played high minutes. But we are extremely talented. … We [as coaches] are always trying to be creative and up the ante in practice. Be creative with how we can make them compete more, creative with getting them frustrated in moments that simulate a game. We are chasing game simulations.

You don’t know who you are until you get punched in the mouth. I think Mike Tyson said that. We’re in a space where we have 80-90% of our team who’s never been punched in their mouth in a game at home, or on the road, or played pivotal minutes in a game against a Power Four team. We don’t know who they are in those spaces. So for us, every day in practice is getting better. And as a coaching staff, how many times can we commit to creating those moments in practice so they don’t feel brand new in the game?

On the nonconference schedule: We have some really, really heavy hitters from a mid-major space. And then, of course, we are always gonna have … [some] Power Fours on there. And I think we cover that, names that ring a bell that have played in postseason play. [We] start out at Illinois State. Butler, he’s [Austin Parkinson] turned that program around, but did a tremendous job at … [IUPUI, now Indiana University Indianapolis]. Belmont, another solid, solid, high-level mid-major program who’s knocked off teams like Tennessee … but another team that usually makes it to the NCAA Tournament a majority of the seasons. And then you have teams like Kansas, Big 12; at Purdue, Big Ten. We always try to have a BIG EAST [team]. … We play Xavier, just someone … down the street, kind of like a … in-state, little rivalry. But you always wanna play a BIG EAST school. I love it. … I think that gives us a good mix of how people play. Illinois State’s gonna move the ball. Belmont, great movement, not a lotta set plays, just kids who know how to play basketball. Then you’ll play Kansas, who’s just [a] big, solid, Big 12 program who are gonna play some juggernaut basketball. And so I think we got a good variety in our nonconference that’ll get us ready for conference play.

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Duquesne

2024-25 record: 21-13 (9-9 A-10, 9th) 

Preseason ranking: 8th 

Percentage of minutes returning: 38.8% (8th) 

Percentage of points returning: 28.0% (11th) 

Key returners:

G Mackenzie Blackford, 5’8: 8.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists

Key Losses:

G Megan McConnell, 5’7: 18.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.1 steals. All-Conference first team, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defensive team and All-Academic team. Led the A-10 in points, assists and steals per game. 

G Jerni Kiaku, 5’7: 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals  

G Gabby Hutcherson, 6’2: 8.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.1 blocks 

Newcomers:

• F Harriet Ford, 6’3
• G/F Dunja Zecevic, 6’2
• G Bakhaw Seye, 6’4
• C Maja Rohkohl, 6’4
• G Alexis Bordas, 5’8
• F Raevin Washington, 6’5

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 18 at Robert Morris 

Nov. 24 vs. Kent State

Nov. 29 vs. Liberty (Navy Classic)

Nov. 30 vs. Navy (Navy Classic)

Dec. 21 vs. Pitt 

Head coach: Dan Burt, 13th season

Coach’s perspective:

It’s a very connected group that has really meshed very well in a very short period of time. And we don’t know who the starters are gonna be. And I think all year long, it’s gonna be a situation where we’re going to have a different starting lineup every single night. And our kids are really good with that. And they’ve really put winning a championship at the forefront over individualism. And [I’m] really excited about that.

On the nonconference schedule: Anytime you get the chance to play teams that are local to you, that are rivalry games, and that’s Kent State and Robert Morris and Saint Francis and Pitt. It’s always good to be able to play the other Division I schools in your areas, because rival games are really important, I think, to the growth of women’s basketball. So I’m really excited about that. And then we’re gonna go down to Navy, which is a much-improved team, and play a good Liberty team, and see how we play.

Fordham

2024-25 record: 15-15 (9-9 A-10, 8th) 

Preseason ranking: 11th 

Percentage of minutes returning: 26.3% (12th) 

Percentage of points returning: 20.2% (12th) 

Key losses:

G Taylor Donaldson, 5’10: 16.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.2 steals. All-Conference third team.  

G Taya Davis, 5’7: 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.7 steals 

F Irene Murua, 6′: 12.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists  

G Chaé Harris, 5’8: 9.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals 

Newcomers:

• G Alexis Black, 5’9
• G Maysen Hill, 5’11
• G Carryn Easley, 5’5
• G Lakresha Edwards, 6′
• F Ornella Niankan, 6′
• G Tia Morgan, 5’8
• F London Liley, 6’2
• F Ugne Sirtautaite, 6’1

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 16 at Buffalo

Nov. 20 at Seton Hall 

Nov. 23 vs. Manhattan 

Head coach: Bridgette Mitchell, 3rd season

Coach’s perspective:

This season, our focus has just been win. And win, not in a sense of winning the championship or anything like that. We’ve been talking since June 26 about small wins and small victories. Because if we accumulate small wins — whether that’s in the classroom, in our relationships, on the court — those will accumulate, and over time, we’ll see where we are when it ends. And so, win has been our theme, and then ‘tougher together’ has also been our focus. So our goal is every single time that we go out against an opponent, we all show up because we’re tougher when we’re together. If there’s any division or anybody not buying into their role, we’ll be weakened, and we can’t afford that. And so we’ve just been really focusing on those concepts to have a great season.

On what she was looking for in the transfer portal: We were looking for the ability to score. … [We brought in] Ugne [Sirtautaite] and her ability to score back-to-basket, but she’s also capable of being a post player that can shoot threes, very similar to Irene [Murua]. Lex [Alexis Black] is a … 3-level scorer as well as Tia [Morgan]. So those two bring a 3-level ability to score. Lala [Ornella Niankan] and her versatility. She’s a 4 player that rebounds exceptionally well, capable of mid-range shooting. And so she helps us with our athleticism at that 4 spot. And then Lakresha [Edwards] is a 3-point specialist. That’s what she does. She’s a knockdown shooter. And so that’s what we were looking for. We were looking for size, in terms of their height, but also their skill set, their ability to score.

George Mason

2024-25 record: 27-6 (14-4 A-10, 2nd) 

Preseason ranking: 2nd 

Percentage of minutes returning: 46.4% (5th) 

Percentage of points returning: 52.9% (4th) 

Key returners:

F Zahirah Walton, 5’11: 14.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks. All-Conference first team and All-Defensive team.  

G Kennedy Harris, 5’7: 13.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.5 steals. All-Conference second team.  

Key losses:

F Nalani Kaysia, 6’2: 7.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.2 blocks 

G Paula Suárez, 6′: 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals. Most Improved Player and All-Conference second team.  

Newcomers:

• PG Sanyiah Littlejohn, 5’8
• SG Kayla Johnson, 5’9
• PG Mary Amoateng, 5’8
• G Matilde Motta, 5’11
• F MJ Johnson, 6’3
• F Hawa Komara, 6’2
• SF Leah Keyes, 5’10
• C Sara Blair, 6’5

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 3 at Temple

Nov. 6 at James Madison

Nov. 14 vs. Georgetown

Nov. 19 vs. Florida Gulf Coast

Nov. 23 at Maryland

Nov. 28 vs. Murray State (Daytona Beach Classic)

Nov. 29 vs. Mississippi (Daytona Beach Classic)

Dec. 7 vs. Liberty

Dec. 20 vs. Princeton 

Head coach: Vanessa Blair-Lewis, 5th season

Coach’s perspective:

When the season was over last year, our staff sat and we started thinking about what is next year gonna be like? And everybody always says, ‘Oh, just go do it again.’ And ‘again’ is very presumptuous, like you think that you can just go out there and do it again when the variables have changed. We’ve lost some really key pieces off that team. And so, I just said, I really wanted to take some time to think about it, because when we got here to coach a team that had zero wins in the conference was a daunting task. And so when we put our hashtag that we were gonna ‘Believe Big’ to be champions, that was like, ‘whoa, wait a minute. You’re gonna ‘Believe Big’ — there’s no evidence right now for that. And so we hang that banner in the practice facility that says … ‘Future A-10 Champions,’ ’cause I wanted them to see every single day what they were pushing hard to be.

And so ‘Believe Big’ was just the beginning. It got us here. It got us to this championship. And so how do we take that next step to do it anew? … So, I know in math, exponential growth is what we’re after. We’ve already done the ‘Believe Big.’ And so we put that in parentheses, because in math [what is] in the parentheses is the work you have to do first, before you can move on. And so we put ‘Believe Big’ in the parentheses, and then we put a two outside, ’cause now we wanna square that belief.

On the lessons she took from last season: Just the resiliency of no matter what it looks like — just really to show up every single day and do the work. … We had some really tough losses down the stretch. We could’ve put our head down, but the teams that we lost to right before the conference [tournament] really proved to be good losses for us. … It kinda woke us back up and really helped us be ready and prepared for the conference tournament. I just think that the patience it takes to grow a winning team is something that we can’t lose sight of. Like Paula Suárez finished her four years here amazing, but … she had meager beginnings. And just the patience it took for her to grow from a freshman to a sophomore, to the flashes of brilliance as a junior and then senior year, she just was virtually unstoppable. [It] was something that we gotta take with this new team, with this young team, that it takes time for them to grow.

George Washington

2024-25 record: 13-18 (5-13 A-10, 12th) 

Preseason ranking: 10th 

Percentage of minutes returning: 50.1% (4th) 

Percentage of points returning: 48.6% (5th) 

Key returners:

G Gabby Reynolds, 5’9: 10.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals. All-Rookie team. 

F Sara Lewis, 6’1: 7.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists 

Key losses:

G Makayla Andrews, 5’10: 11.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists  

F Paige Mott, 6’1: 7.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists 

Newcomers:

• G Jaeda Wilson, 5’8
• G Payton Dulin, 5’9
• G Nya Morris, 5’9
• G Tanah Becker, 6’1
• G/F Emma Theodorsson, 6’1
• G Mia James, 5’4
• F Silvia Gonzalez, 6’2
• G Colleen Phiri, 5’11

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 7 at Temple

Nov. 11 vs. Howard

Nov. 17 at Longwood

Nov. 21 at Georgetown

Nov. 28 vs. Miami (Cayman Islands Classic)

Dec. 21 vs. Northwestern

Head coach: Ganiyat Adeduntan, 1st season 

Coach’s perspective:

We’re really focused defensively. We want to turn defense into offense. … We wanna keep growing on that side of the floor. I really emphasize playing for each other. Taking a bad shot, to me, is a turnover. So we wanna be able to find open players. We wanna be better decision makers. … The way we wanna play is not to be robotic and have to tell our players do this, and everything is scripted. We want them to be able to make reads based on what the defense gives. So that’s an area for us to keep growing, improving on. And then we wanna be able to knock down shots. And once we’re able to create good opportunities, we wanna be a really good shooting team.

On her excitement for the season: I think number one for me when I took this job is just trying to get it back into winning ways. So I’m excited to put out a product that’s gonna be competitive. We wanna be able to give ourselves a chance every time that we step on the floor. I think right now, the expectation is this is a program that is down, and we have a lot to do and to prove. … [It’s] not to prove others wrong, but we wanna prove ourselves right. But that’s also in the consistency in which we show up every single day. So we’re working towards that. But I think ultimately, for me, I’m just excited to be able to show that with what we have, that we’re gonna go out fighting every single game.

La Salle

2024-25 record: 10-23 (3-15 A-10, 14th) 

Preseason ranking: 12th 

Percentage of minutes returning: 62.2% (2nd)

Percentage of points returning: 61.5% (2nd) 

Key returners:

G Aryss Macktoon, 5’11: 10.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 3.2 steals (22 games) 

G Joan Quinn, 5’9: 9.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals. All-Rookie team.  

G Ashleigh Connor, 5’11: 10.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals 

Key losses:

G Ayisse Magassa, 6’1: 7.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.2 steals 

Newcomers:

• F Amiya Moses, 6’2
• G Ivona Miljanic, 6′
• G India Webb, 5’7
• G/F Yar Manyiel, 6′
• F Kiara Williams, 6′
• G Charity Sawyer, 5’8
• C Ava Hoy, 6’3

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 11 at Lehigh 

Nov. 14 at Temple 

Nov. 25 vs. Villanova 

Dec. 20 vs. Mississippi State 

Head coach: Mountain MacGillivray, 8th season

Coach’s perspective:

Last year, we made some changes with just the way we try to connect from the years previous, because we learned some lessons going into last season. And so those things were carried over. So a lot of the team bonding and the team building work that we did last season, we did again this year. And now it was even more familiar. And we had veterans who could kinda share more about their experience here already. So that was really good. So that was a lesson learned from the year before, and it seemed to work well. And having this amount of players returning. As far as the building blocks for our season on the court … we know more of what we have, so we can play to those strengths and tendencies where we would spend most [of] last summer and early preseason, just figuring out who was in the building and what they could do and couldn’t do. So we’re way ahead from a schematic standpoint of where we were either of the last two years.

Well, obviously, we’d like to win more. So that would be my major hope. Where I’m hoping it’ll be the same — I’m hoping that we have a group of kids who’s pulling for each other and are unselfish and are unbowed by failures when they come. And that’s something that I was really impressed with — by our team last year, that we stayed together, stayed connected and found a way to win two out of our last three in a conference season that was really tough. You go into this year, we return a little bit more, and a lot of our league loses a ton. And so we’re hoping to just be more competitive. We’re hoping to fight for a higher seed in our conference tournament. We’re hoping to go further than we did last year. But more so, it’s what I wanna repeat. I wanna be a team that is resilient and together and plays for one another the same way we had last year.

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Loyola Chicago

2024-25 record: 13-17 (5-13 A-10, 13th) 

Preseason ranking: 13th 

Percentage of minutes returning: 39.8% (7th) 

Percentage of points returning: 32.5% (8th)

Key losses:

G Naelle Bernard, 5’5: 9.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists 

G/F Emma Theodorsson, 6’1: 9.4 points and 4.4 rebounds

G Jess Finney, 6′: 7.1 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists  

F Sitori Tanin, 6’2: 6.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocks  

Newcomers

• G/F Alex-Anne Bessette, 6’2
• F Nevaeh Dickman, 6′
• G Daniella Matus, 5’11
• G Alexus Mobley, 5’7
• F Clara Djoko, 6′

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 6 vs. Green Bay 

Nov. 12 at UConn

Nov. 18 vs. Illinois State

Nov. 26 at DePaul

Dec. 18 at Northwestern

Head coach: Allison Guth, 4th season

Coach’s perspective:

Living our standards matters a lot to me, ’cause I think the result[s] will take care of themselves. But I, of course … want the review to be different than the preview. And by that … [look at] where we were picked before the season started [13th]. And so I’m very process-driven that we take each challenge at hand. … We’re challenging ourselves in an intense way in our noncon, but … really for me goal-wise, is that I see a progression and a maturation of us coming into our own, because winning is the ultimate goal. And so when we find ways to take care of business on a daily basis, I think that’s kind of the goal for me. I’d love to get us into the top echelon of the A-10, and we have not — we’ve been picked last and we’ve been at the bottom of this league since … coming in here. I was happy … [with the] Year 1 to 2 jump, getting up to … [the No. 8 seed] and getting that first-round bye. But that’s not at all what we were satisfied with. And … we’re setting out to be the most competitive team we can be in terms of getting ourselves to a place where we can really, really feasibly talk about championships … because we handle ourselves like champions on the daily.

On the nonconference schedule: I think it’s unbelievably challenging. I really do. … We haven’t fared well against local foes like UIC. And Ashleen Bracey and her crew has done a phenomenal job over there. And so we have gotta represent ourselves and this city in a different way, where we play those guys tough. … We’re playing everyone from Big Ten and BIG EAST opponents in DePaul and Northwestern — which I think Jill [M.] Pizzotti is gonna be phenomenal in her new role. And I think Northwestern is gonna be playing so hard for Coach [Joe] McKeown. And so I think that those are gonna be tough in-Chicago opponents. And then we’ve got a dear friend of mine, Kristen Gillespie, who leads Illinois State. And I think she does the most outstanding job. I think she’s one of the best coaches in the country. And I say that sincerely. I think she’s been a coach that’s been up for so many Power Four jobs ’cause of the work she’s done for Illinois State. And so, it took me a while to get our group to a place where I wanted to even play Illinois State — at a place where they are really, really a team that is a 20+ [win], winning season team that’s used to playing in postseason play. So we’ve got those folks that we’ve got to go against. 

We get to welcome back Keisha Collins [now Keisha Newell], who’s the head coach at Oakland. And that’s a former player of mine from 21 years ago here at Loyola. [I] recruited her. And she leads the Oakland program now in her first season. And so, to bring her back home is gonna be really cool. But to play storied programs like Green Bay, I just think it’s a really, really challenging schedule, but one that puts us in a position where we’re different from last year. I know there was a big focus on getting some guarantee games last year. That was big with where we were at in the program and building, but I don’t think that fared well for … our A-10 transition. And so I wanna play the best to be the best. And so we definitely are challenging ourselves in this noncon.

Rhode Island

2024-25 record: 17-16 (11-7 A-10, 5th) 

Preseason ranking: 4th 

Percentage of minutes returning: 31.9% (10th) 

Percentage of points returning: 31.3% (9th) 

Key returners:

G Ines Debroise, 5’9: 7.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists 

G Sophia Vital, 5’3: 6.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals 

Key losses:

G Sophie Phillips, 6′: 9.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists. All-Academic team. 

F Anaelle Dutat, 6′: 7.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.7 steals. All-Defensive team.

F Hawa Komara, 6′: 7.2 points and 6.3 rebounds

C Harsimran “Honey” Kaur, 6’4: 12.2 points and 7.7 rebounds. All-Conference third team.  

Newcomers:

• G Amori Jarrett, 5’8
• G Ta’Viyanna Habib, 5’11
• G Eva Agba, 6′ (joined the team midseason last year)
• G Valentina Ojeda, 6′
• G Brooklyn Gray, 5’11
• C Lilyana Fontcha, 6’4
• C Aimée Michel, 6’3
• G Vanessa Harris, 5’10

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 3 at Manhattan

Nov. 13 at Rutgers

Nov. 15 vs. UAlbany

Nov. 23 at N.C. State 

Nov. 26 vs. Princeton 

Dec. 10 at Providence 

Head coach: Tammi Reiss, 7th season 

Coach’s perspective:

We have three in-conference … transfers … [And] number one, obviously their experience and leadership were key. They’ve been in the league. They know the league. I really enjoy that when I’m recruiting transfers in the portal. Number two, we wanted people that could stretch the floor and shoot and score … Tavi [Ta’Viyanna Habib] and Val [Valentina Ojeda] can really stretch the floor with their 3-point shooting. And then Brooklyn [Gray] … she’s a walking bucket. She can really create for herself and others. And so the emphasis was on offense when we went in the portal. I didn’t wanna score 40 or 50 points anymore a game. I wanna be in the 70s. …

And then obviously our freshmen. We have some bigs … Lilyana [Fontcha] and Aimée [Michel], two huge bigs. They’re the next French bigs. We’ve always kinda refueled and retooled from overseas, and this is no different. We’ve got great size. Got great scoring in the paint with Lily Fontcha. And then Aimée is a great stretch 4. And so those freshmen bigs are huge for us. They replace Honey [Harsimran Kaur], Hawa [Komara] and AD [Anaelle Dutat]. And then obviously Vanessa [Harris] and Amori [Jarrett]. … Vanessa’s a huge talent, freshman talent from the DC area that can really score the ball. And Amori can really shoot the ball, great 3-point shooter. And so … our focus was replenishing our roster, but really offensive-minded.

On the nonconference schedule: It’ll get us ready for conference. We’ve got a lotta different teams. We’ll see a lotta teams that run motion, get us ready for Richmond. We’ll see a lotta athletic teams that run a lotta ball screen action and can score the ball like George Mason, and also St. Joe’s. We’ll play … N.C. State, Rutgers, that … next level competition. So I’m really excited about it — that it’s gonna challenge us and prepare us for league [play], the teams that we see in league [play and] what they throw at us … We don’t have an easy cupcake schedule where I had to go buy a lotta games. And so I wanted to play some teams that are really gonna prepare us for conference and what we’re gonna see in conference [play]. … We have seven, eight new faces that I think by the end of nonconference will start gelling — a lot like last year. I thought last year, it took us [until] conference [play] to really start to gel. And sometimes it takes a little longer. I’m hoping this year our chemistry comes a little quicker.

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No. 24 Richmond

2024-25 record: 28-7 (17-1 A-10, 1st)

Preseason ranking: 1st

Percentage of minutes returning: 50.4% (3rd) 

Percentage of points returning: 61.3% (3rd) 

Key returners:

F Maggie Doogan, 6’2: 17.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks. Player of the Year, All-Conference first team and All-Academic team.  

G Rachel Ullstrom, 6’1: 15.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals. All-Conference first team.

G Ally Sweeney, 5’6: 7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists 

Key losses:

F Addie Budnik, 6’2: 10.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists. All-Conference second team and All-Academic team.

Newcomers:

• F Tierra Simon, 6’1
• G Rayne Wright, 6′
• G Ava Persichetti, 5’10
• G Aneisha Scott, 5’5
• F Shaneka Campbell, 6’2
• F Skylah Travis, 6’1

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 7 at Texas 

Nov. 15 at Columbia 

Nov. 18 vs. Temple 

Nov. 27 vs. TCU (Cancun Challenge)

Nov. 28 vs. Green Bay (Cancun Challenge)

Dec. 7 vs. Fairfield 

Dec. 13 at Liberty 

Dec. 20 vs. Alabama A&M (4 Tha Culture Holiday Classic)

Dec. 21 vs. Penn State (4 Tha Culture Holiday Classic)

Head coach: Aaron Roussell, 7th season (Coach of the Year) 

Coach’s perspective

On the lessons he took away from last year: I think just the expectations and standards with how we go about our program, I think that was driven home last year. … There was no longer any sort of just happy to be there at UCLA last year. That was a ‘Hey, we know we’re good enough to make some noise on the national stage.’ And, in no way looking ahead to UCLA, but we felt confident that we could make our presence felt against Georgia Tech. And we really, really, really wanted an opportunity against UCLA. … I don’t know if I, in years past, would have felt comfortable with those high standards and expectations with a new group like what we have now. But we’ve just said, ‘Hey, bodies have changed, but the expectations haven’t.’ And the standards definitely have not changed. In fact, I think Maggie [Doogan] and Rachel [Ullstrom] will tell you, the standards have probably gone even higher with it. So I think that’s first and foremost of what last year taught us is just we need to have high standards for ourselves and for the program and make sure that we’re achieving that.

On the nonconference schedule: We have so much unknown about our roster and about our team. We’re gonna find out a lot about that in the first six weeks of the season. And so there’s gonna be a lot of tests, and that’s against high mid-majors like ourselves. That’s gonna be against programs that are in leagues higher than ours. And we have a desire to be in the discussion when people talk about the top programs in the country. And we’re gonna have those opportunities to show folks what we can do early in the year.

St. Bonaventure

2024-25 record: 6-24 (2-16 A-10, 15th) 

Preseason ranking: 14th 

Percentage of minutes returning: 23.7% (13th) 

Percentage of points returning: 12.7% (13th) 

Key losses:

G Dani Haskell, 5’6: 13.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals  

G Isabellah Middleton, 5’9: 10.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2.1 steals (eight games) 

F Caitlin Frost, 6’1: 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.1 steals 

G Zoe Shaw, 5’7: 11.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists 

Newcomers:

• G Diamond Fields, 5’9
• G Kaylee Krysztof, 5’9
• G Mallory Heise, 5’7
• G Aaliyah Parker, 5’9
• G Ivona Djikanovic, 6′
• F Kylie Buckley, 6′
• G Olivia DiFranco, 5’10: 
• F Brianna Barr-Buday, 6’2
• G Laycee Drake, 5’6
• G Elyse MacDonough, 5’8
• F Iva Corluka, 6’1
• F Brillana Boyd, 5’10

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 19 vs. Buffalo

Nov. 22 vs. UAlbany

Nov. 26 vs. Cleveland State (Cleveland State MTE)

Dec. 20 at Howard 

Head coach: Jim Crowley, 3rd season (second stint, previously served as head coach from 2000-16)

Coach’s perspective

On the freshmen: They’re a little older. … A couple come from prep schools, and a couple have international experience. So I just think they’ve had a little bit more high-level basketball and training to get used to what’s coming. And then they also have more experienced people around ’em here … who have been really good with their time and their experiences. So I think that’s helped as well. We’re gonna need ’em to play, and we’re gonna need production from our young kids right away. So that’s asking a lot. We hope to one day not be in that [position], but that’s where we are right now. And I do think we have some that are ready, certainly are able for it, but … being ready for it and being able are two different things. And I think we have some folks that we can get ready for it as well.

On the nonconference schedule: I like the regionality of it, that we play a lotta teams within a three-, four-hour drive, so there’s a lotta familiarity between the players and between the schools. So, I think that’s a really good thing. And while maybe we aren’t playing a Power Four team, sometimes when you play a team that’s a local rival, you’re getting a best shot, instead of a team just rolling out. So I like that a lot, and just the opportunity for people that are in the region to see us play a little bit more.

Saint Joseph’s

2024-25 record: 24-10 (12-6 A-10, 4th) 

Preseason ranking: 6th 

Percentage of minutes returning: 37.6% (9th) 

Percentage of points returning: 30.5% (10th) 

Key returners:

G Gabby Casey, 5’9: 7.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals 

G Aleah Snead, 5’11: 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists. Sixth Woman of the Year.  

Key losses:

F Talya Brugler, 6’1: 13.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists. All-Conference third team. 

G Mackenzie Smith, 5’10: 14.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals. All-Conference first team. 

F Laura Ziegler, 6’2: 17.5 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists. All-Conference first team and All-Academic team.  

Newcomers:

• F Faith Stinson, 6’2
• G Amar Mansour, 5’9
• F Olivia Lutterodt, 6’2
• G Kaylinn Bethea, 5’9
• G Jill Jekot, 5’11
• F Rian Dotsey, 6’2
• G Emily Knouse, 5’11
• F Cecilia Kay, 6’2

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 11 vs. Cincinnati 

Nov. 16 vs. Penn State 

Nov. 20 at Columbia 

Nov. 24 at Penn 

Nov. 29 vs. Drexel 

Head coach: Cindy Griffin, 25th season

Coach’s perspective:

On what excites her about the nonconference schedule: Being able to play different types of teams that we haven’t seen before, such as Cincinnati, Penn State, we haven’t played them in quite some time. We’re going on the road. We’re playing Maine … they’re always tough to play at home, very well-coached team. And then, of course, we’re playing Columbia, who’s been in the NCAA [Tournament] the last two times. Then you have your Philadelphia Big 5 matchups as well. And then we have our Hawk Classic. So we have a very, I would say, challenging [schedule] geographically as well as levels. … That’s what really excites me, ’cause we’re gonna see a lot of different types of styles of play — we’re gonna see a lot of different types of athletes.

On what excites her about this season: I think the newness. … It’s almost like it’s starting with a new group, even though every year is new. But I’m excited to see … the growth of our upperclassmen and the growth of the underclassmen, and … where we start and where we finish. I think that’s gonna be a real testament to see what kind of growth that we have over the course of the year. And [I’m] excited to see who’s gonna step up. Because I think … we knew who was gonna step up the last couple years. And so now there’s opportunity all over [across] positions. And [I’m] just excited to see who’s gonna do it on a consistent basis.

Saint Louis

2024-25 record: 15-19 (7-11 A-10, 10th) 

Preseason ranking: 9th 

Percentage of minutes returning: 19.1% (14th) 

Percentage of points returning: 11.6% (14th) 

Key losses:

F Peyton Kennedy, 5’11: 11.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals  

G Kennedy Calhoun, 5’5: 10.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.2 steals. All-Defensive team.  

F Tierra Simon, 6’1: 8.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks  

G Brooklyn Gray, 5’11: 12.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals  

G Shun’teria Anumele, 5’8: 9.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals 

Newcomers:

• G Jahda Denis, 5’7
• G Ellie Paloucek, 5’6
• F Jada Tiggett, 6’2
• G Alexia Nelson, 5’8
• G Zya Nugent, 5’9
• F Jasaiyah Wallace, 6’1
• C Alyssa Koerkenmeier, 6’6
• G Zhykera Brown, 5’10

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 3 at Missouri State 

Nov. 6 vs. Middle Tennessee 

Nov. 12 vs. Southern Indiana 

Nov. 15 at Murray State 

Nov. 21 at Illinois State 

Nov. 25 vs. SMU (Music City Classic) 

Dec. 14 vs. Missouri 

Head coach: Rebecca Tillett, 4th season

Coach’s perspective:

I’d like us to have a little bit more success early. That’s just been a theme that I’d like us to shift. We often kick at the right time and are playing our best basketball at the time it’s needed most. However, I’d really like us to have some success early. And we’ve obviously looked at that as a staff, and in what ways do we need to better prepare our team to meet the demands of the nonconference schedule. So I think looking forward to that test and that challenge. And then also, our most successful teams are really dangerous offensively. We’re really hard to predict what we’re gonna do, and we’re able to put a good amount of points on the board. That was not our typical response last season. And then historically, we also defensively kick late. We’re really focused on how can we stop teams early. 

On the nonconference schedule: I think there’s some really good teams on there. Some that are becoming a bit of a rivalry. Like we play Mizzou every year, we play Missouri State every year, we play Illinois State every year. Those three teams have become these repeated scouts, and the players are ready to take those opportunities. So I think those are some local ones that we’re looking forward to competing [against]. And then the Nashville tournament [Music City Classic], the opportunity to play SMU at a neutral site, looking forward to that as well. And … just really trying to build momentum in the nonconference as we head into the A-10.

VCU

2024-25 record: 12-19 (6-12 A-10, 11th) 

Preseason ranking: 7th 

Percentage of minutes returning: 31.6% (11th) 

Percentage of points returning: 36.4% (7th) 

Key returners:

G Mary-Anna Asare, 5’8: 16.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals. All-Conference second team and All-Academic team. 

Key losses:

G Valentina Ojeda, 6′: 7.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists

G Zoli Khalil, 6′: 8.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists  

F Mykel Parham, 6’1: 4.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks. All-Defensive team. Led the A-10 in rebounds and blocks per game. 

G Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, 5’8: 14.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.4 steals (eight games)

Newcomers:

• G Ty Williams, 5’7
• F Makennah White, 6’2
• F Hawa Doumbouya, 6’7 
• G Daija Preston, 5’7 
• F Ann Zachariah, 6’2
• G Patricia Augustin, 5’10
• G/F Tanya Tkachenko, 6’2
• G Laia Crespín, 5’5
• G/F Katarina Kneževic, 6′
• F Lucy Ghaifan, 6’

Nonconference highlights:

Nov. 9 vs. Villanova (in Toronto, Canada)

Nov. 17 vs. Howard 

Nov. 22 vs. Texas A&M (North Shore Showcase)

Nov. 24 vs. Colorado (North Shore Showcase)

Dec. 7 at James Madison 

Dec. 13 at Temple 

Dec. 19 vs. Georgia (4 Tha Culture Holiday Classic)

Dec. 20 vs. Penn State (4 Tha Culture Holiday Classic) 

Head coach: Beth O’Boyle, 12th season

Coach’s perspective:

On the nonconference schedule: We made it as challenging as can be. You’ve got Georgia, Penn State, Texas A&M, Villanova in Toronto, [the North Shore Showcase in] Hawaii. We’re going to some great places, but we’re also playing some really great teams. And I think it will really position us for the A-10, and it’ll be challenging. And I think it will help really, right from the beginning, get us going and competing against high-level programs.

Obviously, we wanna be playing our best basketball in March. We wanna be in that postseason and competing for that A-10 championship. And of course, I think it’s the way that you play the game. We wanna be really unselfish with the ball on the offensive side and really disruptive on the defensive side. And a big piece for us will be how our rebounding goes. I think those are some of the details of it that if we wanna be able to play fast, we’ve got to do a great job on both sides on the boards.

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