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Women's Team Members 22 - 23

Lanoles

Ultimate Seminole Insider
Nov 6, 2001
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NO.NAMEPOS.HT.WT.YR.HOMETOWNHIGH SCHOOLOTHER COLLEGE
0TA’NIYA LATSONGuard5'8"FreshmanMiami, FloridaAmerican Heritage
1JAZMINE MASSENGILLGuard6'0"GraduateChattanooga, Tenn.Hamilton Heights Christian AcademyKentucky
2BRIANNA TURNAGEGuard6'1"FreshmanAtlanta, Ga.Westlake
3O’MARIAH GORDONGuard5'4"SophomoreBradenton, Fla.Braden River
4SARA BEJEDIGuard5'7"SeniorHelsinki, FinlandArizona State
5MARIANA VALENZUELAForward6'2"SophomoreMazatlán, MexicoMontverde Academy
11TAYLOR O’BRIENGuard5'9"GraduateLafayette Hill, Pa.Plymouth Whitemarsh
21MAKAYLA TIMPSONForward6'2"SophomoreEdison, Ga.Early County
23ERIN HOWARDForward6'1"Redshirt SeniorMadison, Wis.Madison East
32VALENCIA MYERSForward6'3"GraduateSolon, Ohio
 
Ten total players is a scary number of players. Historically, we have had season ending injuries during preseason practice. I would be lying if I didn't say I was concerned. Val is going to have to play at a level of maturity we have yet to see on a consistent basis.

I'm guessing Brooke is hoping to survive this season with what she has and save the scholarships till next year. But I don't understand how she couldn't entice more from the transfer portal to come to sunny Florida.
 
Agree. We should have done better in the portal. Next year could be a struggle. Are there still some portal opportunities of note?
 
I was surprised by the players that chose to go to the portal, not the lack of transfer players out of the portal. Reveals there were issues in the lockeroom.
 
Assuming each of the existing rostered ladies have a full scholarship, there are five remaining.

NCAA Basketball Scholarships Limits
Men's programs are restricted to 13 scholarships while women's program rosters have 15 full scholarship players.
 
There are 2 ways to look at this.
1. It's very bad that BW couldn't fill out her roster with ACC level players.
2. It's good that she would rather pocket the schollies than just hand them out to
young women who won't contribute at this level.

#2 is only good if she has a decent season and is able to hit gold on the recruiting trail. (freshmen and transfers)
 
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Not having a full roster with at least warm bodies means you cannot even practice as you can't run just 10 players for the full practice. Even minimal injuries cause difficulty. You can teach offense or defense but you cannot practice it against no one.

This is why the "Green Squad" is so valuable to Hamilton.
 
Doesn’t the women’s team have a sort of “Green Squad” of men they practice against?
 
I would offer in Brooke’s defense that 2 years ago, she led the Noles to a third place regular season - much better than last season (without our three new freshmen). This season will be tough with 10 scholarship players. However, I just renewed my season tickets today. I may have to give her this season to weather the expected storm. But the following season and the associated recruiting/transfer portal work will be a good indication of where she is at. In the ACC we have had several first year coaches come in and hit the ground running.
 
My take at the roster/potential depth chart:
Gordon/ Bejedi
O’Brien/ Latson
Massengil/ Turnage
Howard/ Valenzuela
Myers/ Timpson

You obviously would like more than 10 players but it’s not uncommon. UConn only has 11 players on roster this upcoming season. Before the past few seasons, Semrau bench was never really that long as she carried around 11 players typically. I believe Natasha Howard’s senior year we only had 9 on roster plus a volleyball player. We had 13 players on roster last year and Semrau only went 9 deep even when we had some injuries.

The good thing about this roster is the versatility of most of the players and all 10 players are capable of contributing/competing at this level. The bad thing is lack of size and 3 point shooting may be questionable.

Should be an upgrade defensively with the new additions. O’Brien avg over 2 steals per game last year. Massengil (as a PG) had more blocks than Baldwin did and more steals than any player on our roster last year. Latson is the top incoming guard and is one of the best defenders in her class. Turnage is similarly built like Morgan and can defend multiple positions.

Post play will make the difference on this season. I would put our guards against any other team in the conference, can’t say the same about the bigs. Although I’m extremely high on Timpson and think Valenzuela had moments of brightness last season. Myers will be an x-factor. We have all been critical of her but hopefully she will benefit the new post coach Brooke hired and a little motivation since it’s her 5th season 🤷🏾‍♂️.
 
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Didn't Micha Pitman's Girlfriend (Oregon Basketball Player) go into the Portal? Is she not good enough to grab at FSU?
 
Alabama A&M player Dariauna Lewis announced her transfer a couple days ago. Received an offer from FSU as well as Cuse, Ole Miss, Colorado. Currently on a visit at Missouri.

She is only 6-1 but avg 17 points and 12 rebounds the past two seasons.
 
Noles will participate in the Cancun challenge Nov 24-26, against Purdue, Oklahoma St, and Harvard. Will be interesting to see how depth affects the team with three games in three days.

So far we know the non-conference schedule includes UConn, UF, Purdue, OSU and Harvard. So far this schedule is shaping to be one of the tougher non-conference schedules in a long time.
 
Hey gang,

I’ve had the privilege of being the team’s radio PxP voice on the radio the past 5 years. Hoping to give y’all some great behind-the-scenes coverage this season. Coach Brooke has them really working hard this summer and it’s a better team than I think people around the country expect.
 
Welcome Ariya.

I don't think anyone felt we haven't had the talent over the last few years. We had some stars that never seemed to improve - or went backwards. Do you have any insight as to what happened?

Also, why did we have the large number of players enter the transfer portal this season, including my personal favorite Morgan Jones. I cheered for her since the first day she was on campus.
 
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Welcome Ariya.

I don't think anyone felt we haven't had the talent over the last few years. We had some stars that never seemed to improve - or went backwards. Do you have any insight as to what happened?

Also, why did we have the large number of players enter the transfer portal this season, including my personal favorite Morgan Jones. I cheered for her since the first day she was on campus.
I think the culture needed to re-fresh. The Covid year and missing all that time (we were one of the most affected teams in terms of losing games and practices) really hurt development. Losing so many assistants the last few years and Coach Sue's leave of absence due to her Mother made continuity tough. I felt before the shutdown, the team with Gillespie, Ekhomu, and Woolfolk was peaking at the right time and was ready to make a run in the NCAAs.

Some of the players just felt it was time for a re-fresh for their careers too, with many of them having already graduated this year. I understand their desires for a new start and support them.

But this team is going to be better than people think, imo. O'Brien was a high level scorer at Bucknell, Massengill brings that hard-nosed toughness from Kentucky we've been missing since Ivey Slaughter played. Latson is a phenomenal freshmen, she has that "it" factor, just want to see how she does against ACC competition.

Myers has always been talented and seems mentally in a great spot heading into her final year. Erin Howard is finally fully healthy and has a chance to really elevate her game. I like Bejedi's athleticism a lot too and Valenzuela's IQ for the game is very high, she was starting to come on late in the year.

But this team comes down to Gordon and Timpson, two players that have All-ACC potential. They are the most talented players on the team and were really fun to watch last season. If they take another leap, then so do the Noles in my eyes.
 
Just bought my season tickets, so I hope you are correct. Last season seemed to issues 'behind the scenes' and a lack of continuity.
 
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FSU picks up its second international 2023 recruit. Carla Viegaas W out of Spain. Not sure what to make of her yet but looks to be a 3 point sniper and will probably have a similar role to Sammie.
 
FSU picks up its second international 2023 recruit. Carla Viegaas W out of Spain. Not sure what to make of her yet but looks to be a 3 point sniper and will probably have a similar role to Sammie.
But a good sign that the international connections are still alive
 
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But a good sign that the international connections are still alive
Spain will remain a strong pipeline for FSU as that was always Coach Wyckoff’s area of recruiting. She enjoyed a great playing career overseas in Spain after graduating Florida State, and has many great connections in that country.
 
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