DEPARTURES
Yaya Felder - transfer to Baylor
Caitlyn Kroll - exhausted eligibility

RETURNEES
Cassidy Laffler SO
Aja Austin JR
Kendall Hale JR
Kate Dennis JR
Kailah Johnson SR
Ella Pope JR
Jaya McClure SO

???
Madi Mace - She's been in the program for 3.5 years. Was it a grayshirt or blueshirt her first year? Assuming she took a medical redshirt this past year, I see a path where she could still have three years of eligibility.
Jasmine Hale - She's been in college basketball for five years already. This includes a year at Wisconsin, a sit out year, the Covid year, and a season where she "did not play" according to our roster. She could be anywhere from done with ball to two years left from what I see
Abby Garnett - Also been in college ball for five years already. This includes a redshirt, the Covid year, and a year where she played in only two games (redshirt again?). Also could be anywhere from done to two years left.
Sasha Antenova - In five years with the program, she has played in 20 games. This includes three DNP (at least one redshirt official) seasons AND the Covid year. Again, could be anywhere from done with ball to two years left.
Peyton Guice - Been in the program for four years. She intentionally burned a redshirt to play in the MAC Tournament in 2022 but was a DNP all last year (redshirt?). I think she has two years left if she wants, but could also be done with ball.

NEWCOMERS
Kennedi Watkins - 5-10 transfer from SEMO, JR
Monica Williams FR
Asiah Baxter FR
Bailey Tabeling FR
Aylasia Fantroy FR
Emma Barnett FR

With seven returnees not honored on senior day or transferred and six newcomers, I'd assume only two of Guice, Mace, J. Hale, Garnett, and Antenova could return. From a skill standpoint, if that's true, I hope it's Mace and Guice, but what's left is a team that is very, very small. None of the newcomers are bigs - Barnett has height, but like Kate Dennis, is more of a wing player. Austin did not look like a well conditioned player when I watched. That would be the extent of our players over 6'0''. The team appears to be loaded with guards and small forwards, which is fine if you can play with pace, go deep in the bench, bomb away from three. But again, as we've seen several times under Boldon, I see a team that is going to be dominated on the glass and get no easy two point attempts.

Guice missed all of last year because she tore the ACL on the other knee than she tore two years ago. I commented then that since she burned a redshirt she probably is not wanting to pull a BVP in use COVID and injury redshirts to pile up master's degree's and that she may be done.

My cousin and I took his little girls to senior day last year. I commented that as far as I knew Kroll was the only one out of eligibly. All of those women walked as a senior. As we have seen before that definitely does not mean that you are not coming back. However, given the size of the recruiting class and the actions of the rest of the squad, I expect that Garnett, Antonova, and Hale are not coming back and from Guice's past actions that she is not either. Pope got here before Mace but went on a mission. They basically took the same scholarship for half a year. After Pope left, wherever she went off to, Mace graduated high school early and came to college a semester early. I'm guessing that they'll both be back but I don't know.

So expect I young team. I wonder how much reduced win totals from outlandish numbers of injuries has hampered Boldon's ability to recruit. Is this a good class by MAC standards? I don't know.

Boldon came in and won MAC titles in his second a third years. He brought in Amani Burke, Katie Barker, and Hannah Thome (who was the twin sister of a WNBA player but could not stay healthy here) in one early class and Cece Hooks, Erica Johnson, Gabby Burris, Kalie Bambule, and Alexis Sover (who transfred to Wright State) in another. That had to be a really, really good class by any team standard outside the P5. A really young team then wins 30 games after the players that played most of the minutes of the championship teams graduate. The future looked paved with gold. How unlucky did Boldon have to be to end up here? It is depressing to think about what could have been.

Gabrielle Wiznitzer

It doesn't help that the few bigs we have, haven't been able to produce a lot. Austin played double digit minutes per game in MAC play and averaged two rebounds a game. Her specialty seemed to be that of a three-point shooter; she shot 17% from three. I felt bad watching her last season because she looked tired before she would even play a minute.

But at least she was available. Antonova has played 20 games in five years. I don't know the story there; unless you're close to the team, there's not much information out there. It's one thing to be plagued by injuries but when you've also got multiple scholarships where the players just don't appear to be panning out, and you carry them multiple years, that's a problem. How's any team supposed to overcome that? It's about as bad as being on probation, frankly.

There's some Mothers' Day pics on the women's Twitter account. Maybe you can figure out who appears to be sticking around. Some faces include Cassidy Lafler, Madi Mace, Kate Dennis, and Bailey Tabeling.

https://twitter.com/OhioWBasketball/status/16578952510239...

Since Bob has been here, he really has not had many impact bigs/post players. Jasmine Weatherspoon may have been the best? I don't go to every women's home game, but do make it to a lot of them. Getting beaten on the glass and being "out-physical'd" by opponents has felt pretty common. In the past, we've had the guards and athletic forwards that have made up for it. Right now, unfortunately, the cupboard feels pretty bare. Felder was the one really bright spot and now she's gone to Baylor, and who can blame her?

Small due to style of play. Not much room for a post when you jack 3'
s like its your job!

Well you ain't wrong that we've historically struggled on the glass, and with longer teams.

The roster was updated. Guice and Mace are in. Everyone else who I thought were probably gone are gone. Also gone are Ella Pope and Kendall Hale. According to both their Instas, due to injuries. The team could go into the season with up to two scholarships unfilled.

Let's face it, this team is in for a whole lot of growing pains this year. The youth, lack of proven scoring options (though Mace and Guice have had their moments), and lack of post presence (again) is all a ton to overcome.

Problem is, coaches come under the gun for not using those two extra scholarships.

So uh, ladies have an exhibition against Marietta tonight.

I was just noticing that. McClure and Guice didn't play and Mace didn't start. I don't know anything about out newcomers but those would seeming be our best players. And you'd think that Austin would at least be in the rotation.

I'd like to nominate Ruck for Bobcat Fan of the Year.