Just the Start of Things

10/21/2016 11:30 AM | Women's Basketball

Utah women’s basketball not satisfied with impressive inaugural campaign under head coach Lynne Roberts as its points to 2016-17.

An outside observer might think that an 18-win season and making the third round of the WNIT in Lynne Roberts' first year of rebuilding the Utah women's basketball program would be cause for celebration. That is not the case, however.

"Complacency is the devil" is a phrase often used by Roberts and that mantra applies to every facet of the program. After previously orchestrating turnaround projects at Chico State and Pacific, Roberts knows last year was just the start of things.

"We're still in the beginning stages of rebuilding this program to where we see it going," Roberts pointed out. "The process of creating a championship program is never really over because once you get to where you expect to win, then the process becomes about not getting complacent; and I don't think we're to that point yet. In a lot of ways, we're still in the infancy stages. We're still learning, developing and growing. I'm confident in how hard the players are working, so I'm confident we're going to have a strong year. I know for sure that we're heading in the right direction and I am really proud of our players."

After being hired in April of 2015, Roberts was forced to prioritize putting together her staff and getting up to speed on recruiting rather than being able to really focus on player development. This past offseason, there has been more of an opportunity for the coaches to spend more time developing the program's returning players, and benefits are already evident.

"This is the third program I've taken over, and I've learned that you have to learn and absorb as much as you can about your team that first year. As you enter your second year, you have to develop a higher level of commitment and a stronger work ethic with the players you have coming back. You also need to bring in new players that can help elevate your program. This was our first real offseason, and I think it will lay the groundwork for what we are going to do moving forward."

Utah welcomes back four returning starters in 2016-17, losing only point guard Danielle Rodriguez. However, Rodriguez's loss is significant.

"You don't replace your program's four-year starting point guard and the player who was the identity of the team in the public's eye easily. But all of our returners had tremendous off seasons and are ready to lead. It's nice to have four starters back who all had really solid years last season. Three of them are juniors now and one is a senior. We just have to stay healthy."

Headlining the returning group is junior center Emily Potter, who was a Pac-12 All-Conference Team selection by both the coaches and media in 2015-16. She also earned honorable mention for the All-Defensive Team and All-Academic Team after ranking ninth in the Pac-12 in scoring (15.1 ppg), third in rebounds (10.2 rpg) and second in blocked shots (2.5 bpg), leading the team in all three categories. She was third in the conference with 17 double-doubles.

"What's fun about Potter is that she's as motivated as any player I've ever been around," Roberts said. "She can also get a lot better and that's exciting to think about. She knows that and she wants that, but she's already pretty dang good."

Potter gained some valuable experience over the summer by spending time the Canadian Developmental Team training with Team Canada for their lead-up to the Rio Olympics.

"She got a ton of experience and exposure at that level of play, which was really good. It was a great experience for her to gain an understanding of the level of commitment and sacrifice it takes to be elite," Roberts explained.

In Roberts' eyes, the sky's the limit for Potter.

"If I go down the list, I think she's in the discussion for the best center in the conference, and that's saying something. Kristine Aniguwe at Cal is a fantastic player and Erica McCall at Stanford is extremely good. Those are going to be two future WNBA players, and Potter is right there."

Senior wing Paige Crozon is one of Utah's most complete players as evidenced by her 11 double-doubles in 2015-16. She is a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honoree and earned Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention last season. She ranked 16th in the Pac-12 in scoring (13.1 ppg), eighth in rebounds (8.2 rpg), ninth in 3-point percentage (36.6) and second in free throw percentage (85.8) a year ago.

"When you compare her to other forwards in the conference, I'd take Paige any day of the week," Roberts praised. "She is versatile with the ability to shoot the 3, put the ball on the floor and post up. Physically, she is as strong and as tough of a kid that you could ever be around. She is so tough physically. I wouldn't want to guard her, I really wouldn't. I don't' think she's peaked and she's tremendously motivated for this senior season."

Junior wing Malia Nawahine earned Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention in 2015-16 after averaging 9.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. The Springville, Utah, native scored in double-figures 13 times, highlighted by a career-high 20 points in the Utes' road win over Cal.

"Malia really worked on being able to come off screens and knock down 3s during the offseason," Roberts explained. "We didn't really have anyone last year who could do that. She also worked on her ball handling and looks really good physically."

Tanaeya Boclair, a junior wing from San Antonio, received Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention after starting all 33 games a year ago. Boclair averaged 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. She was also third on the team with 2.0 assists per contest while playing 27.8 minutes per game.

"The next step for 'Tay' is to become someone who can shoot above 30 percent from 3-point territory. She has put a lot of time into that as well as her ball handling, and she has become more vocal."

Sophomore 6-1 wing Daneesha Provo, a transfer from Clemson, will make her much-anticipated Utah debut this season.

"Daneesha is a great perimeter player who is multi-dimensional. She's going to enable us to defend a little bit differently than we did last year because she's just so athletic and long with great anticipation. She can slash to the hoop and shoot it too," Roberts said.

Another first-year player is 5-10 junior wing Tilar Clark, a prolific scorer who earned junior college All-America honors last season at Salt Lake Community College.

"She's a really scrappy and feisty player, and a good athlete who can run all day," Roberts evaluated. "She's can shoot and slash, has a nice jumper, and is a tenacious defender."

True freshman Megan Jacobs, a 6-1 wing from Las Vegas, is also expected to contribute.

"I've known Megan a long time," Roberts said. "She's very versatile, can shoot the 3, and has great vision. She's learning how fast things go, but physically she's ahead of the game by a mile in terms of her strength and fitness for a freshman."

Providing depth on the interior behind Potter will be juniors Wendy Anae and Joeseta Fatuesi. Anae, who is 6-3 and springy, will provide a physical and athletic presence after sitting out the 2015-16 season with an injury. Fatuesi is a strong and powerful player who has a unique passing skill set, and will pose a difficult matchup for opponents.

"Wendy has made a living off of broken plays because she goes so hard," Roberts said. "She'll come down with a big offensive board, get a put-back, or hustle for a loose ball. She's gotten a lot more skilled over the last year and she can shoot the 3 consistently. I think she's going to be a big factor in our depth that we really needed last year."

"Joeseta had a tremendous offseason," Roberts revealed. "She really worked hard and attacked her fitness and endurance. We want to run more, and if she continues on the path she's on she'll be able to play more minutes and be able to defend on the perimeter a little bit."

In the back court, sophomore Erika Bean and freshman Kiana Moore will take over at the point. Bean appeared in all 33 games last season when she averaged 1.7 points and 1.1 assists per contest. She had a career-high eight assists in Utah's win at No. 21 California. Moore was listed as the No. 8 player in the Northern California by NorCalPreps.com and was an all-Soloano Country Athletic Conference Co-MVP at Vanden High School in Fairfield, Calif.

"Bean's a steady kid and very consistent. She's been a good facilitator, but now the next step is to be more of a scoring threat," Roberts evaluated. "I know she put a lot of time in over the summer on her outside shot and her teammates have a lot of confidence in her."

"Kiana is the quickest, most explosive athlete on the team," Roberts said. "She brings a feisty competitiveness that you can see and feel. She's still learning, but she's very talented and I expect her to contribute this year."

Sitting out this season is Hawai'i transfer Megan Huff.

"She's an athletic 6-3 player with a great feel around the rim. This year is going to be huge for her to acclimate strength-wise to the Pac-12 and continue to work on her skills. She'll be a good player for us in the future, for sure."

Roberts can lean on a year of experience in the Pac-12, arguably the nation's toughest conference, for guidance in her effort to restore Utah women's basketball back to national prominence.

"I always knew the Pac-12 was good, but now I know that it is better than I thought," Roberts confided. "It's really, really good. The players that you're playing against night in and night out are the ones who are going to get drafted into the WNBA. The coaching is excellent, too. You're not going to sneak up on anyone. There are no trick plays. As I look at the championship teams in the Pac-12 over the last few years, and after I've lived through a season, you can just see that those teams don't beat themselves. That's the goal. We have to get to that point."

The Utes know they will not be making their push alone, especially at home in the Huntsman Center.

"The support from the community is huge," Roberts said. "Our attendance increased 38 percent last year, which is quite significant for one year and I'm proud of that. We want to keep that trajectory. Like I always say, complacency is the devil to me. The bottom line is that people want to come and watch a fun style of play and they want to watch a winning team. We're heading in the right direction as a team, and there's a lot of good stuff being done from a departmental standpoint for the promotion of our program that I know will pay off."

Utah hosts an exhibition game against the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology on Nov. 3 at 11 a.m. The regular season starts against Montana State in the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Nov. 12 at 2 p.m.