Aggies face adversity
It’s been a season full of changes for the Utah State women’s basketball team.
The team went 8-22 in the 2014-2015 season and 5-12 in Mountain West games during the regular season. The Aggies lost to the San Jose State Spartans in the first round of the conference tournament March 9, ending the season.
Though many may look upon the record and early exit from the tournament and think less of USU. However, those within the program recognize that the past season has been a success.
In the 2013-2014 season the Aggies were led by prolific scorer, senior guard Jennifer Schlott. Schlott averaged over 26 points per game last season and is USU’s all-time leading scorer with 1,556 points.
Knowing that she wasn’t returning, the coaches were planning to rely heavily on junior guard Makenlee Williams and junior center Stephanie Bairstow. Just seven games into the season, both Williams and Bairstow left the team citing personal reasons.
“The coaches have been really good,” said USU senior forward Franny Vaaulu. “It would have been nice to have the other players on the team, but they didn’t want to stay, and we don’t need that negative vibe on the team. The coaches did a good job of keeping it positive.”
At the time, Williams was the team’s leading scorer with over 14 points per game. She had started in all seven games and was seventh in the Mountain West in scoring. Bairstow played in all seven games and started four. In her career she averaged nearly seven points per game to go along with just under four rebounds.
Williams transferred to Gonzaga, where she had to sit the rest of her transfer year, and Bairstow is now playing in Australia. The USU women’s basketball team, however, continued on its way without them.
“Our team surprisingly came really close together,” said Vaaulu, one of four seniors on the Utah State squad. “Most teams losing their best offensive players would drift apart, but we came together and shared our points. We gave a big role to Funda (Nakkasoglu), and she stepped up and took it. I think having a freshman take that role and us supporting her brought us closer together.”
The team had four seniors this season: Vaaulu, guard Elise Nelson, forward Ingrida Strikas and guard-forward combo Jasmine Porter.
All of the seniors recognized that the loss was hard for the team but also saw the need to push forward. Nelson said that Tilar Clark and Funda Nakkasoglu, both freshmen guards, stepped up to play larger roles.
“Funda is the heart of our team offensively,” Nelson said. “Tilar stepped up as a shooter, but it’s been a team contribution. We knew we were going through adversity at the time, but we knew that coming together was the only thing we could do to get through it.”
Third-year Utah State coach Jerry Finkbeiner explained the difference in the team and the role of the young players after losing Williams and Bairstow.
“We lost returning players that were all scorers,” Finkbeiner said. “Funda’s job this year was to get the ball to these kids. She was going to be a secondary scorer. It took us about a month, a month and half to evolve, but Funda is our only real scorer. Unintentionally, we kind of evolved that way.”
Nakkasoglu averages over 17 points per game, the second most by any freshmen at the Division I level.
“We lost two of our best shooters,” Nakkasoglu said. “We needed to bring up younger players, start working more as a team and run offenses that could incorporate everyone’s positions and not just two options.”
Coaches and players alike credit the team with coming together and playing closely, despite the adversity they faced early in the season.
“We definitely got closer,” Nakkasoglu said. “Everyone knew their role. I think everyone worked harder at training to fill up the roles that we had lost. It brought friendship on the court and off the court.”
Clark got a chance to prove herself a key player this season as well. She started in every game after the departures of Williams and Bairstow. Clark said she and her teammates relied on the seniors for stability throughout the rest of the season.
“I know, as a younger player, this season has been a whirlwind of a lot of emotions,” Clark said. “The seniors have always been there to calm the waves, and they’ve been great role models for us. They have been really positive through every situation.”
Along with the seniors, the coaches kept things rolling for Utah State, not allowing the team members to lose hope.
“The coaches have done great,” Nelson said. “They’ve always had a belief in us as players and a belief that we can get things done. Our record isn’t that great and we’ve lost a lot of close games, but because our coaches believe in us, we still have a belief in ourselves.”
With the season done, the team is now looking forward to next year. Even though the four seniors won’t be there anymore, many young, experienced players will take to the floor for coach Finkbeiner. Next season guard Mariah Miles, forward Julianne Anchling and forward Tijana Djukic will be be the senior leaders of the squad.
“I think they are going to be 10 times better next year than they were this year,” Vaaulu said. “There are so many freshmen — Tilar, Funda, Hannah (Hutchins), Bailey (Peck). They all stepped up. They’re ready to be on the next level. I’m excited for them next year.”
— kalen.s.taylor@gmail.com
Twitter: @kalen_taylor