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UW WBB 2021-22 Season Preview
ChillyDawg
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Pac 12 https://pac-12.com/article/2021/10/12/stanford-tops-2021-22-pac-12-womens-basketball-preseason-coaches-poll
Pac 12 https://pac-12.com/article/2021/11/03/media-selects-preseason-2021-22-pac-12-womens-basketball-all-conference-team
Nothing But Nylon https://nothingbutnylon.com/pac-12-womens-basketball-preview-2021-22/
Seattle Times https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-basketball/washington-womens-basketball-2021-22-season-keys-players-to-watch/
2021-22 WASHINGTON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Coach: Tina Langley, first year
Record at Rice: 126-61, six years
UW 2020-21: 7-14 overall, 3-13 Pac-12 (11th)
Starters returning: 2
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nancy Mulkey, C, 6-9, Sr. — The Cypress, Texas, native followed Langley to Washington after starring the past three years at Rice, where she ranks first in blocked shots (3.5 per game), second in total blocks (266) and 10th in free throw percentage (.768). Last season, Mulkey averaged 15.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. She began her collegiate career at Oklahoma in 2016. Mulkey pulled out of the WNBA draft to return to college for her fifth season.
Haley Van Dyke, F, 6-1, Sr. — Led Washington in points per game (12.0), steals (44), minutes per game (31.9) and second in rebounds per game (5.8) while starting 20 of 21 games last season. She was named honorable mention on the All-Pac-12 and All-Pac-12 Defensive teams as a junior.
Lauren Schwartz, F, 5-11, Jr. — Another Rice transfer who started all 56 games the past two years with the Owls while averaging 11.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 30.1 minutes. Schwartz is a formidable perimeter scorer who converted 42% (42 of 100) on three-pointers last season. She also shot 50.6% from the field and averaged 13.1 points.
THREE KEYS TO THE SEASON
Get the ball to Mulkey: At 6-9, Mulkey is the tallest player in UW history. During her three years at Rice, she averaged 10.5 shots per game and set the school’s all-time field goal percentage record (.551). Last season, Mulkey averaged 11.4 attempts per game and shot 57%. Mulkey is a big target and highly skilled but getting her looks around the basket will likely be difficult because she figures to draw a lot of defensive attention. Mulkey has attempted just four three-pointers — she made three — during her career so she’s not much of a perimeter threat. On the defensive end, Mulkey should be able to dominate considering she’s the three-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year.
Establish an identity: Langley admitted the Huskies are dealing with a few injuries, which will affect the starting lineup and rotation. It’s also still a bit of a mystery what style and identity Langley will incorporate. Under former coach Jody Wynn, the Huskies pressed and trapped while employing a maniacal defensive assault that forced turnovers, which generated points in transition. Last season, Rice led Conference USA in scoring defense (58.9 points per game) and was sixth in offense (69.9).
What can the supporting cast bring?: Even though they haven’t played together, Mulkey, Schwartz and Van Dyke are experienced veterans who should be able to quickly form some type of chemistry. It remains to be seen what type of contributions UW will receive from its supporting cast. Langley could experiment with lineups that includes Mulkey and senior center Darcy Rees, who averaged 8.3 points last season. Newcomer Trinity Oliver, who played four years at Baylor, figures into the backcourt mix alongside senior guard Missy Peterson, who returns after missing last season due to an ACL injury.
THREE GAMES TO WATCH
Nov. 20 vs. No. 6 Louisville: Admittedly, Langley inherited most of the 2021-22 nonconference schedule. Most first-year coaches would arrange a few tune-ups before starting a grueling 20-game Pac-12 schedule. However, UW faces a big test early when No. 6 Louisville and rising star Hailey Van Lith come to town.
Nov. 25 vs. VCU: The Huskies travel to Bimini, Bahamas, for two games at the Goombay Splash starting with VCU and, two days later, North Carolina. VCU, which won the Atlantic 10 tournament title last, returns seven players, including third-leading scorer Sarah Te-Biasu (10.8 points per game).
Dec. 20 vs. Nevada: The three-game Husky Classic tips off Dec. 18 for UW, which plays Eastern Washington. However, the clash two days later against Nevada should provide a stiff challenge for the Huskies. The Wolf Pack had its best season in seven years last season while posting a 13-8 record. Nevada is led by graduate transfer Kylie Jimenez, the preseason Mountain West Newcomer of the Year, and all-conference performer Da’Ja Hamilton.
Pac 12 https://pac-12.com/article/2021/11/03/media-selects-preseason-2021-22-pac-12-womens-basketball-all-conference-team
Nothing But Nylon https://nothingbutnylon.com/pac-12-womens-basketball-preview-2021-22/
Seattle Times https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-basketball/washington-womens-basketball-2021-22-season-keys-players-to-watch/
2021-22 WASHINGTON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Coach: Tina Langley, first year
Record at Rice: 126-61, six years
UW 2020-21: 7-14 overall, 3-13 Pac-12 (11th)
Starters returning: 2
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nancy Mulkey, C, 6-9, Sr. — The Cypress, Texas, native followed Langley to Washington after starring the past three years at Rice, where she ranks first in blocked shots (3.5 per game), second in total blocks (266) and 10th in free throw percentage (.768). Last season, Mulkey averaged 15.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. She began her collegiate career at Oklahoma in 2016. Mulkey pulled out of the WNBA draft to return to college for her fifth season.
Haley Van Dyke, F, 6-1, Sr. — Led Washington in points per game (12.0), steals (44), minutes per game (31.9) and second in rebounds per game (5.8) while starting 20 of 21 games last season. She was named honorable mention on the All-Pac-12 and All-Pac-12 Defensive teams as a junior.
Lauren Schwartz, F, 5-11, Jr. — Another Rice transfer who started all 56 games the past two years with the Owls while averaging 11.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 30.1 minutes. Schwartz is a formidable perimeter scorer who converted 42% (42 of 100) on three-pointers last season. She also shot 50.6% from the field and averaged 13.1 points.
THREE KEYS TO THE SEASON
Get the ball to Mulkey: At 6-9, Mulkey is the tallest player in UW history. During her three years at Rice, she averaged 10.5 shots per game and set the school’s all-time field goal percentage record (.551). Last season, Mulkey averaged 11.4 attempts per game and shot 57%. Mulkey is a big target and highly skilled but getting her looks around the basket will likely be difficult because she figures to draw a lot of defensive attention. Mulkey has attempted just four three-pointers — she made three — during her career so she’s not much of a perimeter threat. On the defensive end, Mulkey should be able to dominate considering she’s the three-time Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year.
Establish an identity: Langley admitted the Huskies are dealing with a few injuries, which will affect the starting lineup and rotation. It’s also still a bit of a mystery what style and identity Langley will incorporate. Under former coach Jody Wynn, the Huskies pressed and trapped while employing a maniacal defensive assault that forced turnovers, which generated points in transition. Last season, Rice led Conference USA in scoring defense (58.9 points per game) and was sixth in offense (69.9).
What can the supporting cast bring?: Even though they haven’t played together, Mulkey, Schwartz and Van Dyke are experienced veterans who should be able to quickly form some type of chemistry. It remains to be seen what type of contributions UW will receive from its supporting cast. Langley could experiment with lineups that includes Mulkey and senior center Darcy Rees, who averaged 8.3 points last season. Newcomer Trinity Oliver, who played four years at Baylor, figures into the backcourt mix alongside senior guard Missy Peterson, who returns after missing last season due to an ACL injury.
THREE GAMES TO WATCH
Nov. 20 vs. No. 6 Louisville: Admittedly, Langley inherited most of the 2021-22 nonconference schedule. Most first-year coaches would arrange a few tune-ups before starting a grueling 20-game Pac-12 schedule. However, UW faces a big test early when No. 6 Louisville and rising star Hailey Van Lith come to town.
Nov. 25 vs. VCU: The Huskies travel to Bimini, Bahamas, for two games at the Goombay Splash starting with VCU and, two days later, North Carolina. VCU, which won the Atlantic 10 tournament title last, returns seven players, including third-leading scorer Sarah Te-Biasu (10.8 points per game).
Dec. 20 vs. Nevada: The three-game Husky Classic tips off Dec. 18 for UW, which plays Eastern Washington. However, the clash two days later against Nevada should provide a stiff challenge for the Huskies. The Wolf Pack had its best season in seven years last season while posting a 13-8 record. Nevada is led by graduate transfer Kylie Jimenez, the preseason Mountain West Newcomer of the Year, and all-conference performer Da’Ja Hamilton.
Comments
Box Score https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/boxscore/_/gameId/401374549
Seattle Times https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-basketball/missy-peterson-has-gone-through-hell-and-back-with-uw-back-from-an-acl-injury-shes-giving-the-huskies-a-major-lift-in-2021/
Missy Peterson has ‘gone through hell and back’ with UW. Back from an ACL injury, she’s giving the Huskies a major lift in 2021.
Missy Peterson’s first and arguably most important assist this season came last spring when she helped convince her best friend and roommate Haley Van Dyke to remain with the Washington women’s basketball team.
Van Dyke, the Huskies’ leading scorer last season, was in the NCAA transfer portal and ready to commit to another school when she got a call from Peterson who urged her to talk to UW new coach Tina Langley before leaving Montlake.
“I had one conversation with Tina, just one and it was our first conversation,” Peterson said. “She met with the 7-8 of us that was still on the roster and she was phenomenal from the jump. I got a really good feeling and good vibe off of her.
“The first thing I did after I got off the phone with Tina was call Haley because I knew if one coach could change Haley’s mind and convince her to stay here it was Tina. And she did it.”
Said Van Dyke: “Missy called me right after and I had never heard her speak so highly of someone. She said you have to talk to her. She is amazing and you’re going to love her. … I texted Tina and we talked for like three hours and I knew right away I’m staying and I can’t leave because she’s amazing.
“Me and Missy are really similar personality wise. She’s very intuitive about people. If she could read Tina like that, I knew I could too. … I’m really glad I stayed and I got Missy to thank for it.”
If Peterson can deliver a few more assists like Van Dyke this season, then her transition back from the wing to point guard will be seamless in her return to the court after yearlong layoff due to a left ACL injury.
The 5-foot-11 guard, who started the previous two seasons, had her senior year derailed during the second day of practice in 2020 when she drove to the basket, felt her knee pop and buckle before crashing to the court.
“I knew,” Peterson said. “It felt like to me it was a season-ending injury. Just the pain and way it felt. I couldn’t get up and I never felt anything like that before. I knew that it wasn’t good. I tried to stay positive and keep my mind right until I knew for sure until I got my results back. But I was preparing for the worst because I knew it wasn’t good.
“I knew I couldn’t spend too much time feeling sorry for myself because I had a team I wanted to help out and lead and a lot of young kids I wanted to direct and get them through their first year of college ball in the Pac-12. I tried to stay positive. But the recovery process was hard.”
Fortunately for Peterson, she had done this before.
The former Edmonds-Woodway High star missed most of her senior season and her UW freshman season was delayed because of a foot injury that required surgery. She also suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in her knee in a game at Washington State that prematurely ended her freshman season on Jan 17, 2018.
Peterson hit a high mark during her UW tenure as a sophomore when she led the Huskies in three-point shooting percentage (36.4%) and was second on the team in scoring at 9.4 points.
The 2018-19 season began with a scintillating three-game performance at the Gulf Coast Showcase while averaging 14.7 points and shooting 53.1 percent from the field. And the season ended with a spectacular showing at the Pac-12 Tournament that started with a 23-point outburst in a first-round upset win over No. 6 seed Utah.
In the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals, Peterson hit one of the biggest shots in recent UW history — a deep three-pointer with 2.3 seconds left to give the No. 11 seed Huskies a stunning 68-67 upset win over No. 3 seed Oregon State, which was ranked 11th nationally. She finished with 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
Peterson backtracked as a junior while her scoring (7.0 points per game), rebounding (3.2), minutes (23.5), field goal percentage (37.2%) and three-point percentage (35.2%) took a dip from the previous season.
Following last year’s injury and coaching change, Peterson was determined to return to Washington for one last season.
“It’s my hometown,” she said. “I went through hell and back with this team. We’ve gone through quite the roller coaster ride, but one thing that I cherish more than anything is how we stuck together as a team. We battled through thick and thin. It would have broke my heart to leave these girls and go somewhere else. I wanted to stick it out and have one last great year.”
Langley moved Peterson to point guard in part due to her experience at the position and UW’s dearth of veteran ballhandlers. Freshman Avery Van Sickle, who was rated the No. 17 point guard recruit nationally by ESPN in 2021, hasn’t made an appearance this season.
Meanwhile, Peterson is averaging 8 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists to offset eight turnovers in two games — a pair of UW wins.
“She just added more to her game,” Van Dyke said. “She can still score and do the things she did before, but she just added that leadership/facilitator piece because we didn’t have a point guard so she needed to take over that role.
At 2 p.m. Saturday, the Huskies (2-0) face their biggest challenge of the season when No. 10 Louisville (2-1) visits Seattle.
Go Huskies https://gohuskies.com/news/2021/11/20/womens-basketball-huskies-rally-in-fourth-quarter-no-10-louisville-prevails.aspx
Washington made a furious fourth-quarter surge against No. 10 Louisville Saturday at Alaska Airlines Arena, but the Cardinals were able to hold off the upstart Huskies, 61-53, at the end.
Haley Van Dyke scored 15 points and had seven rebounds for Washington (2-1), and Alexis Whitfield came off the bench for 10 points to lead Washington. Nancy Mulkey chipped in seven blocks to stymie the paint scorers for Louisville.
Kianna Smith and Liz Dixon each scored 13 points for Louisville.
The Cardinals (3-1) led by as much as 16 late in the third quarter, but had to hold off a late charge by the Huskies to win their third straight.
Washington came out of the gates in the fourth quarter on fire and scored the first 11 points to cut the Cardinals' lead to 54-51. Trinity Oliver buried a three-pointer in front of her team's bench to cap the 11-0 run.
A pair of free throws with 2:42 left in the game stopped the Huskies' run and Emily Engstler then hit a turnaround jumper with 1:52 left for a 58-51 lead that Washington couldn't erase.
Washington came out clicking in the first quarter and led 15-13 after the first 10 minutes had elapsed. Alexis Griggsby came out of the games with five points to lead the charge.
"I'm so proud of these kids," UW coach Tina Langley said. "I think these young women have worked incredibly hard. They're just so selfless. They'll go to any position, they'll do anything we ask, and you saw that tonight."
Note: The Huskies were behind 1-0 before the opening tipoff thanks to an administrative technical foul because the clock wasn’t functioning.
PAC 12 POWER POLL
1. Stanford (6-2)
Result: beat Pacific 91-62
Next up: vs. UC Davis (Wednesday)
NET ranking: No. 7
Comment: Yes, Arizona is unbeaten, but No. 3-ranked Stanford has a substantial strength-of-schedule edge (No. 13 vs. 122) that, for now, warrants the top spot despite two top-25 losses. After UCD comes a huge visit to No. 7 Tennessee on Saturday.
2. Arizona (9-0)
Results: beat North Dakota State 59-47 and New Mexico 77-60
Next up: at Northern Arizona (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 8
Comment: With a win over No. 6 Louisville and the two-point escape against Vanderbilt, the No. 4 Wildcats have taken care of business in the post-Aari McDonald era, at least in the short term. The next big test is Sunday in Las Vegas against No. 11 Texas, a 61-56 winner over Stanford on Nov. 14.
3. Oregon (6-3)
Results: beat Long Beach State 68-59 and McNeese State 109-38
Next up: at Kansas State (Saturday)
NET ranking: No. 15
Comment: There are any number of defendable ways to order Nos. 3-8. The Ducks get the edge at the top of that rung in part because of improving health. Endyia Rogers and Nyara Sabally add to a roster that produced six double-figure scorers Monday vs. McNeese State.
4. Washington State (8-1)
Results: won at Gonzaga 51-49, beat Boise State 62-55
Next up: at No. 20 BYU (Saturday)
NET ranking: No. 60
Comment: This might be too high for the Cougars, particularly given a one-sided loss to No. 2 North Carolina State on Nov. 27. But the Gonzaga win is a good one, and this week’s Cougars fest in Provo is another prove-it chance. WSU also plays at Cornell on Sunday with some major travel in between.
5. Colorado (9-0)
Results: off since Dec. 7
Next up: vs. SMU (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 35
Comment: The Buffs have been here before. This is their third 9-0 start under coach JR Payne, in her sixth season. But CU’s strength of schedule (No. 244) isn’t convincing. And it’s and partly responsible for CU dropping back out of the AP poll after its first appearance since December 2016.
6. Utah (7-2)
Result: beat Cal State Fullerton 100-45
Next up: vs. Utah Valley (Saturday)
NET ranking: No. 16
Comment: Similar to travel partner Colorado, it’s hard to assess what to make of Utah at this point. There was a stirring comeback in a narrow loss to BYU and a bunch of one-sided wins over lesser opponents. For this snapshot, though, a top-20 NET ranking carries some weight.
7. UCLA (5-3)
Result: lost No. 7 Connecticut 71-61
Next up: vs. Texas Southern (Thursday)
NET ranking: No. 61
Comment: Like Oregon, UCLA is going to get healthier and better going forward. But the Bruins showed enough against UConn to warrant this ranking, at minimum, and they could climb next week depending how they fare at home against No. 24 Ohio State on Sunday.
8. Oregon State (5-3)
Results: won at Monmouth 72-58, lost at Villanova 56-52
Next up: vs. Idaho (Friday)
NET ranking: No. 89
Comment: The Beavers were without 6-4 forward Taylor Jones in their loss to Villanova, a true mitigating factor, and their other defeats were to top-25 teams. Still, it’s been a sluggish start for a quality program that perhaps will improve this week at the Maui Classic.
9. Arizona State (5-5)
Result: lost at Creighton 69-62
Next up: at San Diego (Saturday)
NET ranking: No. 54
Comment: Again, the No. 9-12 rankings are a bit of a coin toss at this point. ASU seemed headed in the right direction with three straight wins before coming up short vs. Creighton (No. 31 NET). “It’s disappointing we can’t be smarter and tougher,” coach Charli Turner Thorne said after the game.
10. Washington (3-3)
Result: won at Seattle 77-59
Next up: vs. Eastern Washington (Saturday)
NET ranking: 74
Comment: Two of the Huskies’ losses are to top-25 teams, and they deserve some credit for the nation’s No. 6 strength-of-schedule (per Warren Nolan). It’s uncertain, though, how coach Tina Langley’s first season in Seattle will play out.
11. California (7-2)
Result: beat McNeese State 102-60
Next up: vs. Cal Poly (Saturday)
NET ranking: No. 87
Comment: Guard Jayda Curry already is a three-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honoree, and Charmin Smith seems to have the Bears moving in the right direction in her third season. But Cal’s strength of schedule is No. 196.
12. USC (5-3)
Results: off since Dec. 5
Next up: vs. Cal State Northridge (Wednesday)
NET ranking: No. 81
Comment: Lindsay Gottlieb is back coaching in the Pac-12 in her first season with the Trojans. She took Cal to the NCAA Final Four in 2013 and returns to college after two seasons as an NBA assistant. The ingredients for a bright future are in place.
UW WBB https://gohuskies.com/sports/womens-basketball
Nevada WBB https://nevadawolfpack.com/sports/womens-basketball
Eastern Washington WBB https://goeags.com/sports/womens-basketball
NEWS
Go Huskies https://gohuskies.com/news/2021/12/16/womens-basketball-uw-takes-on-eastern-washington-in-game-one-of-husky-classic.aspx
Seattle Times (click for full article) https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-basketball/uw-womens-basketball-team-continuing-to-improve-as-huskies-wrap-up-nonconference-slate/
The Washington women’s basketball team continues to commit far too many turnovers and the offense is still uncomfortably unpredictable despite an impressive performance in its last outing.
However, new coach Tina Langley is somewhat pleased with the progress the Huskies (3-3) have made since their season opener five weeks ago.
“We’ll always see film and say we got to get a lot better at this or that, and that’s not a negative thing,” she said. “One of our values is growth and so we want to see every game as, ‘OK, these are the areas that we’re improving in and these are the areas that we still need to improve in.’
“And as long as we see it that way, we’ll be the best team that we can be by the end of the year.”
Washington wraps up its nonconference schedule this weekend with the Husky Classic that begins 2 p.m. Saturday with a matchup against Eastern Washington (2-5).
EWU plays Nevada (7-3) at 2 p.m. Sunday at Alaska Airlines Arena and the three-day event ends 2 p.m. Monday with UW hosting Nevada.
“We need to play,” Langley said. “Playing helps us a lot with just identifying things that we need to be better at. When we think we’re making progress, sometimes you take the floor and say we got a ways to go there still. And sometimes you take the floor and say, ‘OK we got it or we’re getting better at it.’ So I think the games are really important to keep you there from an evaluation standpoint.”
At the top of Langley’s to-do list is fixing an offense that ranks 302nd out of 348 Division I teams in turnovers-to-assist ratio. UW is also last in the Pac-12 with 23.2 turnovers per game and 11th with 13.2 assists per game.
In their last outing — a 77-59 win Dec. 10 at Seattle University — the Huskies had a season-low 19 turnovers, which represented marginal improvement for a team that twice had 36 turnovers in a game.
“We’re more aware of what causes them, and we’re more aware of ways that we can combat those moments,” Langley said. “That’s something that we’ll continue to work through this season. We have a lot of players that can handle the ball. We also run an offense where a lot of players can bring it up the floor right now, which is helpful. So people growing in the knowledge of how everything works will be something that we’ll do throughout the season.”
Senior Missy Peterson moved from shooting guard to point guard this season with mixed results while averaging 6.5 points and 3.0 assists to offset 3.2 turnovers per game.
Senior forward Haley Van Dyke has emerged as UW’s best player who leads the team in scoring (12.7), rebounds (9.2) and steals (1.3). But she’s also second in the Pac-12 with 3.8 turnovers per game.
Go Huskies https://gohuskies.com/news/2021/12/18/womens-basketball-huskies-catch-fire-in-the-second-half-to-storm-past-ewu-62-59.aspx
UW Athletics: Washington women's basketball head coach Tina Langley and forward Lauren Schwartz meet with the media following the Huskies' 62-59 win over Eastern Washington. Presented by BECU.
Seattle Times https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-husky-basketball/haley-van-dyke-scores-20-washington-womens-basketball-beats-nevada-in-final-game-of-husky-classic/
UW Athletics: Washington women's basketball assistant coach Dan Tacheny and forward Haley Van Dyke meet with the media following the Huskies' 58-42 win over Nevada.
12. Washington (5-3)
Last week: 10
Results: beat Eastern Washington 62-59 and Nevada 58-42
Next up: vs. Stanford (Dec. 31)
NET ranking: No. 105 (change: -31)
Comment: A narrow win over lowly Eastern Washington (No. 306 NET) did nothing good for the Huskies’ computer metrics, even given their second win over Nevada. And now Washington has to face Stanford coming off a loss.