When Women’s Basketball hits the court this November, it will mark the beginning of a brand new multi-year plan.
Bridgette Mitchell takes over the reins for her first year as head coach in the Bronx, bringing with her an entirely new staff and nearly an entirely different roster.
The change comes following a disappointing exit in last year’s Atlantic 10 tournament. Despite earning a double bye, the Rams fell to University of Richmond in their opening matchup, blowing a 14-point first quarter lead.
It’s a dramatic reset for a program that has posted a record above .500 in its last seven seasons, making either the NCAA tournament or WNIT in all seven and winning 20+ games in four. As the A-10 preseason polls indicate, Fordham fans might have to prepare for a significant dropoff.
The Rams find themselves ranked 13th out of 15 teams in the A-10, ahead of both St. Bonaventure University and Loyola Chicago University.
They’re one of just five teams without any recognition on any of the A-10 preseason all-conference teams.
This year’s squad brings uncertainty and loads of unanswered questions. Of last year’s 17-man roster, only four players return: seniors Matilda Flood and Maranda Nyborg and sophomores Rose Nelson and Kaila Berry.
Flood comes off her best season at Rose Hill, setting career highs in every major category as one of five Rams to appear in all 32 contests. The guard settled nicely into a sixth-man role, and her tenacious defense and ability to guard one through four on the court should give the Rams some useful versatility this year.
Nelson, a 6 foot 1 inch forward from Australia, went through some growing pains in her freshman campaigns, averaging 1.8 points per game on 54.2% shooting with most of her points coming inside the paint. Her development was expedited by a season-ending injury to forward Meg Jonassen, opening up playing time in the front court. Her athleticism is undeniable and her efficiency inside could translate to a breakout season with increased playing time.
Nyborg missed all of last season with an injury but saw regular playing time as a 6 foot 3-inch forward in each of her first two seasons, while Berry appeared in just two games as a freshman.
The biggest question is how Fordham will make up for all of their departing talent. The Rams tallied 2315 points last season. They returned just 107 points, thanks to the combined efforts of Flood and Nelson. To save you all some math, that’s 4.6% of their season total.
Fordham lost four players to graduation and an additional seven to the transfer portal. The biggest blows come in the form of A-10 Co-Defensive Player of the Year Asiah Dingle and Notre Dame transfer Anna DeWolfe, both of whom were named First Team All-Conference. The dynamic guard pairing accounted for nearly 52% of team scoring last year. Add Kaitlyn Downey, Jada Dapaa and a massive chunk of their regular rotation to the list of departures and you’ve got the unenviable task of replacing all that production.
Coach Mitchell will seek to address that by bringing in six transfers from a wide range of schools.
Leading the pack is a trio of multi-year starters in senior guard Taylor Donaldson (New Mexico State University) and graduate student guards Emy Hayford (Pittsburgh University) and Mandy McGurk (University of Pennsylvania).
McGurk started all 29 of Penn’s games last season, averaging 8.0 points per game while finishing in the top 10 of the Ivy League with 81 assists and 49 steals. Donaldson posted 7.5 points per game while Hayford led Pitt with 53 assists.
Junior guard Taya Davis should also be an exciting addition, making the leap to Division 1 basketball after two years at the JUCO level. In those two years, Davis has done nothing but impress. Totaling 225 assists at Garden City Community College, Davis finished fourth in the entire National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) with 7.3 assists per game, doing so with 1.7 assist per turnover ratio. That’s on top of being named to the All-Conference team in her freshman campaign at Odessa Community College. Davis’s speed and playmaking could be a game changer for the Rams this season.
Forwards Aminata Ly and Kailah Harris, hailing from Cleveland State University and Seton Hall University respectively, round out the transfers, adding some length and depth to the backcourt. With Ly standing at 6 feet 4 inches and Harris at 6 feet 1 inch, it gives the staff some options to play with when it comes to constructing this rotation.
Mitchell was named head coach on April 7, limiting what the Rams could do recruiting-wise. However, they did manage to snag two freshmen in the form of guards Miya Giles-Jones and Cassidy Mahaney.
Giles-Jones brings a versatile and athletic 6-foot frame to the table, along with a decorated high school career at Terry Sanford High School in North Carolina.
The McDonald’s All-American nominee was named conference Player of the Year in all four seasons, and district Player of the Year twice. Mahaney joins her as a First Team All-County selection to round off a small but promising inaugural class for coach Mitchell.
Looking at this roster holistically, there’s been a clear effort on getting bigger and quicker. Last year, Fordham had just three active players over 6 feet. This year, they’ll have five, headlined by the 6 foot 4 inch Ly and the 6 foot 3 inch Nyborg. The additions of Davis and Giles-Jones indicate the prioritization of fielding an athletic group. “I think it’s fair to say we’re gonna play fast,” Mitchell said back at her introductory interview with WFUV.
It certainly seems like she kept that in mind when trying to build out this roster.
Resets at the collegiate level can often be messy. Frankly, it’s not that hard to see why. With a new-look staff and new-look roster, there’s exponentially more ground to cover when it comes to preparing for the season. For this year’s roster, it’s not just learning a new system, but learning how to play with new teammates as well. Surprising the prognosticators will be no easy task. It’s going to take a lot of effort to get the team flowing on the same page, particularly early on.
The Rams aren’t the only team in the conference entering a reset. The University of Massachusetts, a bitter rival of Fordham and one of the A-10’s top programs the last few seasons, are undergoing a similar change with head coach Tory Verdi off to Pitt and their entire starting five departing. Unfortunately for teams like the Rams and the Minutewomen, there are plenty of schools who are returning their top talent.
The University of Rhode Island, who were last year’s Co-Regular Season Champions, was named atop the preseason poll, returning two all-conference selections while adding a Syracuse University transfer to the mix as well. Saint Joseph’s College keeps much of their core intact after a breakout season and last year’s A-10 champion Saint Louis University returns leading scorer Kyla McMakin.
The Fordham Rams begin their 2023-24 season on Monday, Nov. 6, hosting Adelphi College right here at Rose Hill.“We aren’t going to promise the university or people to win. We aren’t going to promise that we can do magical things,” said Mitchell. “We are going to be a group of people that compete, work, and have fun. We know for a fact that wins will come in overflow once we establish our culture.”
It’s clear coach Mitchell is trying to build something long term. This year should be the roots of what may once again blossom into a top program in the A-10.
