THREE QUESTIONS FACING THE HUSKIES
Who’s running the show? For the second straight year, the Huskies will seemingly start the season without a true point guard, which could be troublesome for a team that led the Pac-12 with 18 turnovers per game last season. UW rotated playmaking duties between several players before settling on Trinity Oliver and Jayda Noble in the backcourt. Last season, they combined for 53 assists and 73 turnovers. Oliver and Noble are likely to start the season, but the Huskies brought in a trio of highly recruited freshmen (Elle Ladine, Hannah Stines and Teagan Brown) who may vie for minutes and greater responsibilities as the season progresses.
Can the Huskies score enough points? Offensively, Washington ranked last in the Pac-12 last season while averaging 56.2 points. Quite simply, that’s not nearly enough to consistently win in the Pac-12 where the scoring average was 66.4 points. The Huskies return double-digit scorers Haley Van Dyke (11.0 ppg.) and Lauren Schwartz (10.3 ppg.) while bringing in Lehigh transfer Emma Grothaus, who averaged 12.6 points last season. And California transfer Dalayah Daniels figures prominently in the offense if her 12 points and 6-for-12 shooting in UW’s exhibition is any indication.
What’s the identity? Second-year coach Tina Langley is touting a position-less scheme featuring versatile players with wide-ranging skillsets. Daniels, Grothaus and center Darcy Rees comprise a low-post trio, while everyone else can play and defend every position depending on the opponent.
THREE GAMES TO WATCH
Nov. 17 vs. UC Irvine: The Huskies will be hard pressed to beat the Anteaters, which tied a school record 21 wins last season and is averaging 17 victories since the 2017-18 season. Still, UCI lost its top three scorers and brings back two starters and eight returners from last season.
Dec. 18 vs. Liberty: UW opens the two-game Husky Classic with stiff test against Liberty, which returns three starters from a team that finished 28-5 and captured its first-ever Postseason WNIT victory last season. The Lady Flames are picked to finish second in the ASUN in the coaches and media preseason polls.
Feb. 5 vs. Stanford: Several Pac-12 games would classify as must-watch matchups, including Dec. 11 conference opener against Washington State, which has a five-game winning streak in the cross-state series. However, No. 2-ranked Stanford is the biggest game on the schedule and they’ve beaten the Huskies 11 straight times dating back to 2017.
2022-23 UW women’s basketball roster
Coach: Tina Langley, second year
UW record: 7-16, 2-12 Pac-12
Returners: 8
Newcomers: 6 (2 transfers, 4 freshmen)
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP
Pos. Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG APG*
G Trinity Oliver 5-9 Sr. 4.3 5.0 1.3
G Jayda Noble 5-11 So. 2.0 2.3 1.1
F Lauren Schwartz 5-11 Jr. 10.3 2.4 2.3
F Haley Van Dyke 6-1 Gr. 11.0 7.7 1.9
F Dalayah Daniels 6-4 So. 7.9 4.9 1.2
KEY RESERVES
C Emma Grothaus 6-4 Sr. 12.6 9.1 1.5
G TT Watkins 5-11 Sr. 4.1 1.7 0.6
G Elle Ladine 5-11 Fr. — — —
G Hannah Stines 5-11 Fr. — — —
F Shayla Gillmer 6-1 Fr. — — —
DEEP BENCH
F Darcy Rees 6-4 Sr. 1.9 0.9 0.2
F Teagan Brown 5-10 Fr. — — —
G Lexi Griggsby 5-9 Gr. 6.7 1.3 1.0
F Nia Lowry 5-11 So. 1.8 0.5 0.2
Bold: Returning starters
*2021-22 NCAA stats