Welcome to the Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Tipoff for the 2021-22 Season. This morning, we feature the Davidson Wildcats.
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A special for atlantic10.com, by Vicki Friedman (@ladyswish)
Coach: Gayle Fulks, 52-64 in four years at Davidson and overall
Last Year: 9-14 overall, 5-10 Atlantic 10; lost 69-52 to No. 5 and eventual champion VCU in the second round of the A-10 Tournament
They’ll Miss: Katie Turner, a 5-7 guard who, as a senior, led the Wildcats in assists (3.1 apg) and was one of only two Davidson players to start all 23 games.
Great to Have Back: Chloe Welch, 5-9 senior guard, averaged a team-high 16.2 ppg but appeared in just 16 games; Suzi-Rose-Deegan, 5-10 junior guard, Australia-born 2019-20 A-10 Rookie of the Year and preseason first-team All-A-10 pick a year ago but played only 10 games with just two starts in 2020-21; Cassidy Gould, 5-10 senior guard, native of Australia who averaged 10.7 ppg while starting all 23 games; Sarah Konstans, 5-10 senior guard, 21 starts last year and rebound leader with 6.3 rpg; Adelaide Fuller, 6-3 junior forward, 8.9 ppg.
Newbies of Note: Elle Sutphin, 6-3 redshirt sophomore forward, transfer from North Carolina State and previously ranked No. 39 nationally as a high school prospect by espnW; Mallorie Haines, 5-10 freshman guard, who was also ranked in espnW national Top 100 (No. 96); Issy Morgan, 5-10 freshman guard from Australia.
On the Schedule: The Wildcats open their season at Virginia Tech and have sprinkled five non-conference home games in with a road slate that includes trips to Texas (TCU) and Florida (the Florida Atlantic Thanksgiving Tournament).
The Bottom Line: With four starters back along with some potential impact newcomers, the Wildcats could be poised for their best season since joining the A-10 in 2014.
A Look at the Wildcats
Don’t overlook Davidson.
The Wildcats weathered multiple injuries that affected their cohesion a year ago, but the 2021-22 season looks bright behind four veterans who return hungry and healthy.
"The group of upperclassmen we have all have had a lot of valuable experience," said head coach Gayle Fulks. "Because of the injuries we had last year, they got to play a lot."
Two years ago, the Wildcats relied heavily on Suzi-Rose Deegan, who earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year honors. Injury limited her to just 10 games last season, increasing the playing time for her teammates and elevating their confidence.
Deegan is good to go along with senior guard Chloe Welch, limited to 16 games a year ago. Add in senior guard Cassidy Gould, who did not miss a game last season, and junior forward Adelaide Fuller, the fifth Australian on Davidson’s roster, and that’s a lot of firepower.
Welch, Gould and Fuller all stayed at Davidson over the summer as did Keeley Evans, a 6-3 forward who transferred into Davidson last spring. "They had great summers and really bought in to getting healthy," Fulks said. "It’s nice to see all the work they’ve been putting in come together."
Elle Sutphin joins the Wildcats after two years at ACC power NC State, which advanced to the Sweet 16 last March. The 6-3 forward "with a high motor," according to Fulks, was ranked No. 39 by espnW as a high school recruit.
For the Wildcats to impact the Atlantic 10 race, their rebounding must improve. Leading rebounder Sarah Konstans returns for a senior year, but "we’ve got to collectively rebound if we want to play at a high level," Fulks said.
Davidson opens with a Virginia Tech team that returns just about everyone from a squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Hokies are ranked No. 24 nationally in the Associated Press preseason poll. Trips to TCU and a holiday tournament in Boca Raton, Fla., are part of the non-conference slate that includes Georgetown and Columbia. Fulks wanted a schedule against opponents that play multiple styles.
"That’s going to be really important because our conference is really diverse and you really saw it with the quick turnaround games in our league last year. We’re trying to mimic what we’ll see in conference through our non-conference schedule."