2021-22 CSUN Women's Basketball Season Preview

2021-22 CSUN Women's Basketball Season Preview

11/2/2021 2:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---Following a 20-month absence due to COVID-19, the CSUN Women's Basketball team returns to the court to begin the 2021-22 season at No. 22 Arizona on Nov. 9.

"With nine freshmen, a sophomore and only three players with significant Division I playing experience, practices have consisted of teaching, skill development and a lot of film sessions," said CSUN interim head coach Carlene Mitchell.

Leading the returning players is Meghann Henderson. Now a graduate student, Henderson was fourth on the team in both scoring (8.9) and rebounding (4.6) during the 2019-20 season. She finished fourth in the Big West in steals per game (1.9) while her team-leading 58 steals were the 15th most in a season by a Matador at the Division I level.

Redshirt junior Jordyn Jackson was second on the team in scoring at 10.1 points per game average (20th overall in the Big West) during the 2019-20 campaign. Her 74 assists were the second-most on the team and were the 13th most in the Big West. Jackson made 42 steals, the fourth-highest amount on the team and her 1.4 per game average were 13th in the conference.

Redshirt sophomore Olivia Smith played in 28 of the 31 CSUN games as a true freshman two seasons ago. She averaged 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.

Redshirt junior Tess Amundsen was a part of the CSUN team in 2019-20 but sat out the year after transferring to the Matadors from Boise State. Amundsen averaged 4.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 58 games from 2017-19 with the Broncos. The team won a Mountain West title in each season.

"We have relied heavily on the leadership of our upperclassmen to lead by example with their work ethic, on and off the court," said Mitchell.

Rochelle Fourie, Rachel Harvey, and Anaiyah Tu'ua were set to join CSUN in 2020 before the Matadors withdrew from the competition. All three are now redshirt freshmen. A 2019 graduate of the Mankura School in New Zealand, Fourie earned the Manawatu Sports' award, Supreme Girls award, and Sports Woman of the Year in 2019. She was the basketball code winner for Manawatu in 2018 and 2019 and is a three-time Manukura Basketball Player of the Year for (2017-19). The 6-3 center was a member of the U-17 and U-19 New Zealand National Teams.

A 2020 graduate of St Ignatius Prep, Harvey was named 2019-20 San Francisco Athlete of the Year by the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club. She was chosen first-team All-League as a senior and second-team All-WCAL as a sophomore and as a junior. She attended the USA U17 National Team Trials in Colorado Springs during her sophomore year. An Anaheim native, Tu'ua was a 2020 graduate of Troy High School. She helped Troy to a 23-10 record and reach the CIF-SS Division 1 final in Feb. 2020 as Troy reached the Division I finals for the first time in five years before losing to the top-seed, Harvard-Westlake (55-42) in the finals. She averaged 10.3 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.7 steals as a senior. She was selected league MVP as a junior and as a senior.

The Matadors welcome a total of eight newcomers to the team this season. A pair, Jayda Adams, and De'jah Williams enter the Northridge program as graduate transfers. Adams suffered a pair of knee injuries that forced her to miss both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons at Duke University. She appeared in 63 games (two starts) in two campaigns for the Blue Devils. Before her injuries, Adams scored 153 points, grabbed 66 rebounds, and had 52 assists for Duke.

Williams appeared in six games for Iona College in 2020-21, scoring 15 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, posting one steal, and one assist. She averaged 4.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 28 appearances for Iona in 2019-20. Williams began her collegiate career at the University at Albany where she played in 20 games as a redshirt freshman during the 2018-19 season.

CSUN features six true freshmen on the roster. Michelle Duchemin is a 2021 graduate of the Windward School in Los Angeles. She was ranked No. 11 in the SilverWavesMedia.com Top 100 SoCal Southern California Girls Top 100 rankings after being named to the All-CIF Southern Section team and first-team All-League as a senior.

Ashley Hawkins arrives in Northridge from Long Beach Wilson High School. A 2021 graduate, she was named 2020 Long Beach Press Telegram Dream Team Girls Basketball Player of the Year and CIF-SS 3A Player of the Year after averaging 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.9 steals per game. The team won the 2020 CIF 3A Championship.

McKenzie Hudgen graduated in 2021 from Marian High School in Mishawaka, Ind. She averaged 12.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 3.1 steals per game as a senior. She scored over 1,000 points and averaged 17 points per game during her prep career. She graduated with a 4.3-grade point average and was a member of the National Honors Society.

Macy Smith joins the CSUN program from Spring Lake Park (Minn.) High School. She led her teams to three state tournament appearances and two conference titles. A three-time All-Conference selection, she scored over 1,000 points in her prep career and finished with a 16.3 points per game average.

Kayanna Spriggs is a 2021 graduate of Mater Dei Catholic High School in Chula Vista, Calif. She averaged 13.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game as her team won the CIF Division 2-AA championship during her senior season. She concluded her prep career averaging a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds per game Spriggs graduated with a 3.8-grade point average and was a member of the National Honor Society.

Sydney Woodley rounds out the 2021-22 true freshmen class. Woodley graduated from Paloma Valley High School in 2021. She was

2021 graduate of Paloma Valley High School. Woodley was chosen first team CalHiSports.com Division 3 All-State and to the All-CIF Southern Section team as a senior after being selected to the Press Enterprise All-Area and first-team All-Section as a junior after the team (34-3) won the CIF-SS Division 4AA and CIF State Division III championships. Woodley averaged 18.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 5.6 steals in 107 prep games. She graduated with a 4.25-grade point average.

"Integrating so many new pieces with a very young group, while establishing roles and our team's identity has been a priority for our staff," Mitchell commented.

Mitchell took over as interim head coach on July 30 after Lindsey Foster resigned. The CSUN appointment marks the return to the Big West Conference for Mitchell, who was the head coach at the UC Santa Barbara for four seasons from 2011-2015. In her first season at the helm, she led the Gauchos to the Big West Conference Championship as the sixth seed and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. She also coached two of her players to all Big-West honors. Mitchell was selected as a finalist for the Spaulding Maggie Dixon Rookie Coach of the Year Award presented by the WBCA.

"I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to fulfill the role of interim head coach of the CSUN Women's Basketball program," said Mitchell. "I have spoken to Coach Foster, and I know the decision to step away was a difficult one; I look forward to sharing her same passion for the game with the young women who I believe are excited to be challenged and get back on the court."

In addition to Arizona, the Matadors will face No. 20 UCLA, and No. 25 Texas along with USC to complete a quartet of Power 5 opponents in the preseason. 20 Big West games await CSUN as the Matadors begin league play at home with UC Irvine on Dec. 30 and UC San Diego on New Year's Day. CSUN was picked 10th in the Big West Preseason Media Poll and 11th in the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll that was released Nov. 2.

"Our young team will be tested early and often during a non-conference schedule which includes road trips to three Pac 12 programs and a Big 12 program," Mitchell said. "I hope the challenging schedule and the experiences you can only get by playing elite-level competition will prepare us for conference play."

~#UniteTheValley~