The Lobo Women’s Basketball Program looks to build off of last year’s very encouraging season that saw the Lobos finish the season 21-13 overall and 14-4 in Mountain West Play. The Lobos ended up making the Mountain West Tournament Final and making the second round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational. With such a great turnaround, Coach Sanchez was awarded a contract extension as she tries to get the program back to where it was in the early 2000’s. This program is on the rise with a talented roster and recruiting keeps on getting better, I am excited for this season and do think this team has good shot to win the Mountain West.
Players Lost:
The Lobos did lose their best player off of last year’s team in Antiesha Brown, who led the team in scoring at 15 ppg. Brown was also the Lobo player that provided the toughest matchup for opponents. While the Lobos will greatly miss Brown early in the season, this loss was expected since she was a senior. Knowing that they were going to have to replace her production, Coach Sanchez and the rest of coaching staff were able to recruit players to help take over the load left by Brown. The Lobos did lose a few other players, but Brown was the only senior and player that played a huge role on the team last year.
Freshmen:
Coach Sanchez and the coaching staff were able to bring in probably the best recruiting class that has joined the program in years. Post Jaisa Nunn has a chance to be a four-year starter that will probably end up being one of the leading scorers for the Lobos this season. If Nunn can take over the starting spot at the post, it gives the Lobos a chance to be a very good team this season with a strong first and second unit. Wing Emily Lines has a chance to be a key member on the team this year and could find the role as the first wing off of the bench, providing a reliable scoring threat off of the bench. And finally, I think that wing Jannon Otto has a chance to be one of the greatest Lobos of all time when it’s all said and done. She will likely be a four-year starter that could lead the Lobos in scoring each year. I have been extremely impressed by her offensive skillset and her ability to score in many different ways. This three player recruiting class has a chance to be a program-changing class, where we can look back in 10 years and say that this class is the reason we are back in the top 25 conversation every year. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see all three freshmen on the floor together regularly as part of the rotation.
Returning to Action:
Even though they aren’t part of the recruiting class, the Lobos do return two players that didn’t play for the team last year in junior post Whitney Johnson and sophomore wing Alex Lapeyrolerie. Both players will be in the rotation and play key roles for the team. I would guess that Johnson will start at the post for at least the first part of the season and if she plays great, I would guess that she will hold on to the starting spot. Lapeyrolerie has a chance to be a big part of the rotation at the wing position and could bring great energy and defense to the second unit. It may take time for both players to get their legs under them as they return to college basketball action, but the hope is that they’re up to speed quickly. One thing is for certain: the addition of Lapeyrolerie and Johnson along with the freshman class adds a lot of depth and talent to the Lobo team.
Key Players:
Senior point guard Bryce Owens (8 ppg) will run the show again for the Lobos this season and will look to improve on her shooting from a year ago. If Owens can up her percentages from three point range, she could see her ppg average go up considerably. Owens’ most important thing this year will be to get the ball to the other Lobo scorers and with several good options on the team, Owens could see her assist numbers go up by a couple assists per game.
Senior post Khadijah Shumpert is the Lobos’ leading returning scorer from last season, averaging 10.8 ppg, and was tied for the lead in rebounding at 5.8 rpg. Shumpert needs to have a big senior season for the Lobos to reach their full potential. I expect Shumpert to stay out of foul trouble and be the leading rebounder for the Lobos this season. Shumpert has a chance to have a very special season, and I can’t wait to see the end results.
Sophomore wing Cherise Beynon was a very pleasant surprise on last year’s team when she averaged 8.9 ppg and was tied for the team lead at 5.8 rpg. Beynon has a chance to be a Lobo great and she will expand her game this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up averaging 14 points and 7 boards a game this season. She will be a must-watch player this season and could be the player that puts the Lobos on her back during some critical games this season.
Freshman post Jaisa Nunn has a chance to be the Freshman of the Year in the conference and could lead the Lobos in scoring. It won’t take long before she is starting at the post. Along with Shumpert, they have the potential to be the best frontcourt in the Mountain West. I am excited to see the growth that we will see from Nunn this season.
Freshman wing Jannon Otto has a chance to be a fan favorite and a must-watch player from the get-go, as her offensive game is very advanced. She is able to shoot the 3, score from all areas of the floor, and handle the ball well. In my opinion, Otto and Dunn are the two favorites to win Freshman of the Year in the Mountain West. I wouldn’t be surprised if Otto became New Mexico’s all-time leading scoring by the time her four years are up.
Expectation:
The expectation for the team this year is to finish in the top two in the conference and have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament. The overall league quality needs to improve for the Mountain West to have a realistic chance of becoming a multi-bid league every year. So, the Lobos need to knock of Colorado State and I think they have the ability to do that this year. I predict that the Lobos will win the Mountain West this season and will play in the NCAA Tournament. It should be a fun year so I encourage fans to make it out to more games this season and bring the Pit atmosphere to the home games.