SANTA CLARA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Last season: 25-9, 12-4 (second in the West Coast Conference)
Coach: Michael Floyd, first season, 0-0
Season opener: Monday vs. UC Riverside, 6 p.m.
Projected starters: Senior forward Olivia Pollerd (14.7 points, 4.6 rebounds), senior forward Irena Korolenko (8.3 points, 6.3 rebounds), senior guard Hannah Rapp (4.2 points, 3.3 rebounds), senior guard Kaya Ingram (10.5 points, 3.1 assists), senior guard Mia Curtis (6.9 points, 2.0 rebounds)
Key reserves: Senior guard Malia Latu (1.8 points), junior forward Georgia Grigoropoulou (1.7 points, 1.6 rebounds), junior forward Alana Goodchild (1.7 points), sophomore guard Maddie Naro (1.4 points)
Strengths: Former coach Bill Carr brought in plenty of talent through the transfer portal before resigning to take a job at UC San Diego as a general manager. Olivia Pollerd returns after averaging almost 15 points per game. Kaya Ingram led Cornell in scoring, Mia Curtis was an all-Ivy League selection at Dartmouth, and Australian forward Alana Goodchild was a reliable reserve for Northwestern. Hannah Rapp was a regular starter for Saint Mary’s as a junior last season.
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Weaknesses: After being in charge for eight seasons, Carr abruptly stepped down on Oct. 12, leaving Floyd as the interim head coach weeks before the season starts. The Broncos wlil need some of their returners to make big jumps this season in addition to the transfers. Leading scorer Tess Heal transferred to Stanford, and thus the Broncos lack an established star scorer next to Pollerd.
Outlook: Santa Clara has lost five of its top six scorers from last season in addition to its longtime coach. Repeating last season’s 25-win mark is going to be an unlikely feat. The team has a chance to rack up some wins before entering WCC play, but also face JuJu Watkins and a star-studded USC superteam in mid-November.
– Joseph Dycus