Following a season chock full of injuries, which ended a promising year, women’s basketball head coach Suzy Merchant started her media day press conference by looking at the bright outlook of this season.
“Well, first, I walked in their (practice) and I thought I was coaching Izzo’s team, there were so many people in there,” Merchant said. “But honestly, we all had a smile on our face.”
Merchant had a smile on her face for most the press conference, and rightfully so when considering the prospects of this year’s season. Even with all the battered bodies and abundant adversity, the team found a way to finish with a winning record.
Merchant now enters her ninth season as head coach and will look to guide the Spartans back to the NCAA Tournament as the team returns seven players from last year’s squad. Now with a cast of newcomers brimming with potential and experience, Merchant and company look to reverse last year’s misfortune.
For the Spartans to have that type of success, it will have to come behind the leadership of redshirt junior forward Aerial Powers.
Powers is undoubtedly the best player for the Spartans. She’s played in all 64 games during her career, producing 34 double-doubles. Powers won gold in the World University Games as a part of Team USA last summer and has been named to the First-Team All-Big Ten Team the past two seasons.
Counterpart to Powers is junior guard and one-two punch partner Tori Jankoska. Jankoska was second on the team in scoring behind Powers and is dangerous from beyond the arch. She has hit 132 3-point shots throughout her career.
It’s a combo which learned a lot and one Merchant relied on heavily last year to score and lead.
“They had to learn to really communicate in such a way that it didn’t tear the team apart in frustrating times,” Merchant said of Jankoska and Powers. “They did a great job of bringing kids together and bringing our team together, even though everything was sort of geared towards them.”
Beyond Powers and Jankoska, the Spartans have two transfers in Akyah Taylor and Morgan Green, looking to leave their mark on the MSU program.
Taylor, a senior forward, originally began her career at MSU appearing in 17 games during two years with MSU before transferring to Saint Francis in Indiana. Taylor averaged 20.8 points with the Lady Cougars en route to an NAIA Division II All-America Team selection.
Taylor gained valuable experience in Indiana but was excited to return to the program which gave her a start.
“It’s a blessing, actually,” Taylor said. “Just glad to be here, enjoying the moment and this with these girls.”
Green, a west coast native, played one year at Chabot College in San Jose, Calif., averaging 22.1 points a game. Green has garnered some high praise from Merchant for her toughness after she broke her nose during practice and returned the next day.
“I mean she’s tough,” Merchant said. “She’s quick, she’s athletic. She can score. She can set people up. She’s extremely competitive, mature. “
Merchant will also have three seniors at her disposal in Jasmine Hines, Cara Miller and Taylor. Hines and Miller have a wealth of experience with 156 games played between the two. Hines will be playing her fifth season this year after being granted a medical redshirt last season.
Within the sophomore class lies a bed of talent with Branndais Agee, Lexi Gussert, Kennedy Johnson and Green.
Agee, a redshirt sophomore, didn’t play last season after suffering an ACL tear.
She averaged 5.9 points a game during her redshirt freshman season. Merchant has confidence Agee will be back to her old form.
“Brandi, to me, is a big X factor for our team,” Merchant said. “She’s had a tough run with a couple of ACLs, but she is by far one of the most athletic kids we have on our team. So I’m really excited about her and her maturity and what she’s done in the last season.”
The team added six freshmen to the roster as well. Kalabrya Gondrezick will be the only guard to join the team.
Octavia Barnes, Nathy Dambo and Victoria Gaines add depth to the forward spots. Only Dambo won’t see action because she is an academic redshirt. Hana Vesela and Jenna Allen will be centers behind Hines.
With key components finally healthy returning to a team that started 8-3 last season, the Spartans will be hoping to reverse a lost season from a year ago.
“We’ve been focusing on making a deep tournament run really,” Jankoska said about expectations for this season. “Our focus has been the Final Four all summer.”
The Spartans begin their journey to the Final Four with an exhibition game against Michigan Tech on Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. at Breslin Center.
