City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of our 2024-25 season coverage, which will run for the six weeks preceding the first official games of the year on Nov. 4. To access all of our high school and college preview content for this season, click here.)

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The college basketball preseason has begun.

Traditionally, this time of year, CoBL releases its Preseason Big 5 awards as a first look at the upcoming season. But in this world of the transfer portal, with so many of the city’s stars changing schools each offseason, taking a look at honoring who might be the best in the city this season seemed like an increasingly-meaningless effort. 

Instead, we’re starting off the preseason by recapping who’s come and gone from each of the Big 5 programs, and where that leaves each of the six headed into the six-week stretch of practices which build up to the first games on November 4:

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Drexel Dragons
Out: Momo LaClair (UMass), Brooke Mullin, Hetta Saatman, Erin Sweeney, Jasmine Valentine 

In: Deja Evans (Soph./F), Iriona Gravley (Fr./F), Emilee Jones (Fr./SF), Molly Lavin (Jr./F), Cara McCormack (Gr./G), Mariah Watkins (Fr./SF)

Stayed: Amaris Baker (Sr./G), Clara Bergerson (Soph./F), Chloe Hodges (Gr./SF), Laine McGurk (Soph./G), Jalyn McNeill (Jr./F), Grace O’Neill (Jr./G)

Bottom Line
An up-and-down 2023-24 ended with a peak, as the Dragons captured their second CAA title in four years under Amy Mallon, winning four games in four days to cut down the nets in Washington, D.C. Several key members of the lineup are gone, from program stalwarts like Saatman to a key one-year addition in Mullin, who had a career season (10.2 ppg) after transferring over from Villanova. But three starters return in Baker (11.7 ppg), Hodges (8.6 ppg) and O’Neill (5.1 ppg), plus McGurk, the sophomore from Rustin who came out like gangbusters with four straight double-digit outings in her first career games, averaging 6.4 ppg in just 13.1 mpg on the season, going for a career-best 21 later in the year.

To supplement her roster, Mallon brought in a group of newcomers that on paper all seem ready to step right in and keep the Dragons near the top of the CAA pecking order. Evans, a 6-2 post from Archbishop Wood, averaged 8.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg as a freshman at Albany. McCormack, a 5-3 point guard, has played in 95 games (63 starts) at Holy Cross, averaging 10.9 ppg and 3.0 apg for the two-time defending Patriot League champs. Watkins, a versatile 6-0 wing, impressed on the grassroots circuit and helped her Webster Schroeder (N.Y.) squad to a state title. Drexel lost a lot, but it’s possible they brought even more back in.

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La Salle Explorers
Out: Tiara Bolden (Oregon State), Amber Bullard, Hailey Chiles, Fiona Connolly (Valporaiso), Emma Egan, Ashley Hopper, Julie Jekot, Molly Masciantonio, Nicole Melious (Seton Hall), Makayla Miller, Laia Monclova (Denver), Emilee Tahata (Rider), Gabby Turco (Rider), 

In: Alisa Blalock (Jr./G), Ty’Renisha Bowers (Jr./G), Ashleigh Connor (R-Soph./G), Mackenzie Daleba (Gr./F), Ivy Fox (Jr./F), Irene Garcia (Fr./G), Vega Gil (Jr./G), Sania Jenkins (Fr./G), Ayisse Magassa (Jr./G), Lauren Patnode (Fr./G), Anna Pryszlak (Jr./F), Joan Quinn (Fr./G), Diora Ressaissi (Fr./SF)

Stayed: Jolene Armendariz (Gr./G), Aryss Macktoon (Soph./G)

Bottom Line
If there’s a roster in all of DIvision I basketball that experienced more turnover this offseason, we’d like to see it. Thirteen of the 15 women on Mountain MacGillivray’s roster are brand-new, leaving him and the Explorers staff with quite a bit of work to do this offseason and into the winter. The only two returning players are both in their second year with the program — Armendariz, who started 27 of 29 games last year and averaged 6.2 ppg and 5.9, and Macktoon, who averaged 10.8 ppg in four games before suffering a season-ending injury.

The rest of the lineup comes from all over the place: some from the junior college ranks, some from other Division I programs, some from non-Division I programs, plus a handful of true freshmen. Connor, who comes in from Saint Louis, has three years of eligibility remaining and brings good size (5-11) and scoring to the backcourt; Quinn had a standout couple years at Cardinal O’Hara, and Patnode stood out at the Perkiomen School. MacGillivray will use almost his entire rotation no matter what, so it’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out as the season unfolds. 

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Penn Quakers
Out: Tobi Ademuwagun (Tulsa), Jordan Obi (Kentucky), Marianna Papazoglou, Michaela Stanfield, Floor Toonders

In: Katie Collins (Fr./F), Reagan Jamison (Fr./G), Gabriella Kelley (Fr./F), Sarah Miller (Fr./G), Brooke Suttle (Fr./G), Ashna Tambe (Fr./G)

Stayed: Stina Almqvist (Sr./G), Saniah Caldwell (Jr./PG), Mataya Gayle (Soph./G), Lizzy Groetsch (Sr./G), Georgia Heine (Jr./G), Helena Lasic (Jr./F), Tina Njike (Soph./C), Ese Ogbevire (Soph./G), Iyanna Rogers (Sr./F), Simone Sawyer (Jr./G), Abby Sharpe (Soph./G)

Bottom Line
After seven straight 20-win seasons under Mike McLaughlin, it’s felt like the Quakers have been treading water for a few years, finishing 15-13 (7-7 Ivy League) last year. They did give top-seeded Princeton a scare in the Ivy League semifinals, losing 59-55, but ultimately marked the sixth straight year without an NCAA Tournament appearance after making three of the previous four. There were a couple big positives to take away, including the emergence of Almqvist (15.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg) as a two-way force, while Gayle (14.3 ppg, 3.1 apg) had an outstanding freshman year, but they were only once able to win three games in a row and had trouble staying consistent all year. 

Last year, the Quakers featured a three-headed offense led by Almqvist, Gayloe and Obi (14.8 ppg), with nobody else averaging more than Groetsch’s 5.4 ppg. With Obi off at Kentucky, Ivy League rules prohibiting her from playing at Penn as a graduate student, the Quakers need at least one but preferably two or three players to show they can be more consistent double-digit scoring threats. That could be Groetsch or Ogbevire (4.7 ppg), or potentially one of the freshmen, like Tambe — who scored more than 1,600 points at Hockaday School (Tex.) — or the sharpshooting 6-0 Jamison, who comes from Camas (Wash.).

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Saint Joseph’s
Out: Bridget Monaghan, Chloe Welch

In: Meja Jagerskog (Fr./F), Rhian Stokes (Fr./G)

Stayed: Emma Boslet (Gr./G), Talya Brugler (Sr./F), Gabby Casey (Soph./G), Emerson Devenie (Jr./G), Kaylie Griffin (Sr./G), Lizzy Gruber (Soph./C), Paula Maurina (Gr./F), Julia Nystrom (Sr./G), Mackenzie Smith (Sr./G), Aleah Snead (Soph./G), Laura Ziegler (Jr./F)

Bottom Line
Expectations can’t be much higher for the St. Joe’s women. The Hawks not only won 28 games last year, finishing third in the Atlantic 10, they return almost the entire rotation from an NIT quarterfinal squad. The goal is singular: make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 years, and this group is good enough to win there. Brugler, who enters her senior year already inside the school’s top 10 scorers (1,370 points, 9th), can establish herself as one of the true all-time St. Joe’s greats if she can lead her team there, while Smith (1,129 points, 19th) should join her near the top of the school’s scoring list. 

The only question mark for the Hawks going into the year is replacing the production of Welch (10.7 ppg), who gave St. Joe’s exactly what it needed in her year as a grad transfer from Davidson. A step forward from Casey (3.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and Snead (2.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg) in their second years of college basketball is important, and they were getting quality minutes at the end of last season from Maurina (2.2 ppg) as well. This team will almost certainly win a lot of games. It’s just about if they can win three or four — and maybe a couple more — at the right time in March.

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Temple Owls
Out: Kendall Currence, Aleah Nelson, Ines Piper (South Florida), Denise Solis, Rayne Tucker (UAB), Demi Washington, Channing Williams

In: Kelian Cedano (Fr./G), Savannah Curry (Fr./G), Felicia Jacobs (Fr./F), Amaya Oliver (Gr./F), Anissa Rivera (Gr./F),  Kaylah Turner (Soph./G), Adena Webster (Fr./G) 

Stayed: Drew Alexander (R-Fr./G), Tiarra East (Sr./G), Tarriyonna Gary (R-Sr./G), Jaleesa Molina (Soph./F), Sheyenne Swaine-Price (R-Fr./C), Tristen Taylor (Soph./PG), Makayla Waleed (Sr./G), Alexandra Wilkinson (R-Jr./C)

Bottom Line
The Owls had a nine-game win improvement from Diane Richardson’s first year (11-18) to her second (20-12, 13-5 AAC) as Temple’s head coach, and now she’s got a good mix of returners and new faces as they hope to stay in the mix at the top of the American Athletic Conference. Nelson (11.8 ppg), Washington (9.5 ppg), Tucker (7.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and Piper (6.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg) were all in the Owls’ top six in the scoring column, while Currence and Solis both played about 10 minutes per game. But East (13.3 ppg) and Gary (9.0 ppg) have a lot of college experience between them, and Taylor (6.6 ppg) looked ready as a freshman to take over for Nelson as Richardson’s primary lead guard for the next three years. 

From the newcomers, Richardson’s got experience up front. Oliver, a Southern Cal recruit out of high school who averaged 9.4 ppg and 5.9 rpg while starting all 30 games at Loyola Marymount last year; Rivera’s got 101 Division I games under her belt, the 6-1 wing averaging 7.1 ppg and 4.7 rpg at Towson last year. The freshmen wings, Cedano and Curry (Westtown School), both have a lot of promise as well. If Taylor’s ready for primetime, the transfer forwards contribute and at least one of the freshmen is ready, Richardson could have something cooking here.

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Villanova Wildcats
Out: Christina Dalce (Maryland), Abby Jegede (Northeastern), Zanai Jones (SMU), Megan Olbrys (UMass), Lucy Olsen (Iowa), Bella Runyan, Kylie Swider (Stonehill) 

In: Ryanne Allen (Jr./G), Jasmine Bascoe (Fr./G), Dani Ceseretti (Fr./G), Lara Edmanson (Gr./F), Jaliyah Green (Sr./G), Bronagh Power-Cassidy (Gr./G), Rachel Wirts (Fr./F)

Stayed: Maddie Burke (Gr./G), Denae Carter (Jr./F), Brynn McCurry (Soph./F), Kaitlyn Orihel (Sr./G), Maddie Webber (Soph./G)

Bottom Line
The amount of talent that transferred out of Villanova’s program this offseason is clear from the various landing spots, with the loss of Olsen — the nation’s third-leading scorer — and Dalce the most notable. That left Denise Dillon and Co. in the position of having to do a pretty substantial rebuild a year earlier than expected, and she’s built a squad with a mix of transfers and freshmen joining just enough holdovers to keep some on-floor continuity.

The Wildcats are going to be built much differently this upcoming season after having a dominant scorer each of the last few years, with Maddie Siegrist giving way to Olsen. Burke, Orihel, Power-Cassidy, Webber and Allen are all potential double-digit scorers on the perimeter; if Carter is recovered from the ACL injury that cost her 2023-24, she should give them a good interior presence as well. But none of them have proven they can do so yet at the high-major level due to their circumstances, so they’ll be a curious bunch to figure out early in the season.