With the 2018-19 season set to commence Tuesday, here’s a guide to what to look for among Virginia’s Division I teams
Fabulous Five – the top teams in the state:
1. Virginia Tech
All five starters, including All-ACC guard Taylor Emery, report back from a group that last season ripped off a 6-1 stretch from the start of the ACC Tournament until the WNIT final. And in terms of the team’s ceiling, the one loss may have proven more than the six wins – a three-point setback to eventual NCAA Final Four participant Louisville in the ACC quarterfinal. Also, the addition of ultra-competitive freshman Dara Mabrey (yes, her sister plays for Notre Dame) could shore up the Hokies’ need at point guard. Of course, maintaining this top spot will mean getting past Virginia, a task the Hokies have been miserable at in recent years. The Cavaliers have won four straight and 22 of the last 24 in the series.
2. Virginia
Newly minted Hall-of-Famer Tina Thompson makes her head-coaching debut with four returning starters from a Cavaliers team that ended a seven-year NCAA Tournament drought and advanced to the second round. That team thrived primarily by neutralizing opponents with a variety of defenses; Thompson wants her Cavaliers to push the pace in hopes of becoming more dynamic offensively. Now, it seems as though every new coach says “we’re going to play uptempo!” when she walks in the door; it sounds good and fans eat it up. Fortunately for Cavaliers fans, with thoroughbreds Jocelyn Willoughby and Dominique Toussaint leading the way, Thompson has the personnel to pull the transition game off.
3. JMU
With the CAA preseason player of the year (Kamiah Smalls), two first-team selections (Smalls and Lexie Barrier) and one second-team pick (Kelly Koshuta), expectations are understandably high in Harrisonburg. An inability to make just about anything from 3-point range served as a drag on the 2017-18 squad’s potential. If these Dukes can find some outside shooting – and don’t let the hype get to their heads – this is an NCAA Tournament-caliber team.
4. Radford
Senior guard/forward Destinee Walker and junior forward Lydia Rivers headline the preseason Big South favorites. The graduation losses are significant, but after posting 24-win seasons in each of the past two seasons, coach Mike McGuire appears to have this program in position to keep on keeping on.
5. Hampton
The Lady Pirates are without a lot of last season’s firepower, but we’re betting on coach David Six’s proven ability to develop a defensive juggernaut with whatever group he brings in. Hampton will also regain the services of former All-MEAC forward and future architect Kaylah Lupoe, who sat out last season to focus on her challenging class load. If Lupoe can improve even slightly on her form of two years ago, she’s capable of challenging for Big South Player of the Year honors.
Bubbling under the surface
William and Mary: Nice to see the Tribe have a Preseason All-CAA first-teamer in Bianca Boggs (the first W&M player in a decade to record the honor). Nyra Pollard returns after a promising rookie season.
Liberty: Let’s see how the Lady Flames tackle the heat in the ASUN behind KK Barbour, one of four senior on the team. Barbour earned Big South MVP honors last season.
Norfolk State: The Spartans return a trio of seniors in Khadedra Croker, Alexys Long and Raven Russell and bring in experienced point guard, Dana Echols, a two-year junior college veteran.
Question marks
George Mason: We’re stoked to see how well Nicole Cardaño-Hillary handles life without Natalie Butler. The reigning A-10 Rookie of the Year set a single-season freshman record by scoring 605 points last year.
Richmond: Only one Parson and her name is Alex, but nine newbies have us wondering what the Spider season will look like.
Nowhere to go but up?
In terms of record, Rutgers, which went from 6-24 in 2016-17 to 20-12 in 2017-18, was the most improved team in Division I last season. The three candidates from the state of Virginia in the running this time:
Old Dominion (8-23 last season)
Given the way Old Dominion’s roster disintegrated after last season’s coaching change, what remained of the 2017-18 Lady Monarchs should be commended for squeezing out eight wins and generally being competitive. But now coach Nikki McCray has a near-full roster. Granted, most of them are wet behind the ears – the sixth-youngest roster in Division I, per ODU sports information – but the long-term upside is clear.
VCU (7-22)
The Rams are a year ahead of Old Dominion on the rebuilding curve as last year it was VCU with the super-young roster. Seven of that team’s top eight scorers are back, and after a promising finish to the 2017-18 campaign, the Rams are poised to make a significant push in the A-10. How significant? Last season, VCU earned the 11th seed in the league tournament. This season, The Rams were picked to finish sixth in the 14-team league by the conference coaches.
Longwood (7-23)
How tough have things been in Farmville? The 2017-18 campaign marked the fifth straight year the Lancers finished with eight or fewer victories. The only positive was that it created a much-deserved head-coaching opportunity for Rebecca Tillett, a William & Mary grad who comes from a family of coaches and has compiled a sparkling resume of her own as a high school coach and college assistant. Obviously, it’ll be no easy feat turning Longwood around, but something tells us that, given her background, Tillett will be up for the challenge.