Straight Outta WAC

22 straight wins. Undefeated in WAC play. The most balanced lineup in arguably the Division I era. And a chance to win at least a share of that elusive WAC regular season title with a win on Saturday in Riverside. Molly Miller is going to win WAC Coach of the Year honors, and perhaps garner some national honors, as well. The Lopes are rolling, and Miller is at the head of a veteran group of player...

Macie Warren was having a big year in 2023-24. Warren played in 23 games, averaged just over 14 points per contest, and was a significant piece of the Trailblazers’ game plan. Then, as has happened before, Macie Warren sustained a season-ending ACL injury on Feb. 8, 2024, in the Trailblazers 87-77 win against rival Southern Utah. Warren missed the season's final nine games, including the WAC Tourn...

Derryl had the opportunity last week to chat with Tarleton State leading scorer Arieona Rosborough. The Texans are currently in third place in the WAC standings after a sweep of last week’s action, and now the Texans get to face league-leading GCU in Phoenix on Thursday. Give it a listen. #WAChoops Get full access to WAC Hoops Nation Newsletter at www.wachoopsnation.com/subscribe

Derryl had the chance to talk with Tarleton State women’s basketball radio broadcaster Clayton Neville. The duo talk about the Texans, Bill Brock, and much more. Make sure you check it out. Get full access to WAC Hoops Nation Newsletter at www.wachoopsnation.com/subscribe

Spencer McLaughlin is the Voice of the Thunderbirds and he sat down with Derryl on Wednesday to talk about the Southern Utah women’s basketball team. Give it a listen. Get full access to WAC Hoops Nation Newsletter at www.wachoopsnation.com/subscribe

Danja Stafford Collins wanted to come back to Utah, to play with friends and be closer to family. And, since joining Utah Valley, Stafford Collins has been really, really good, including a game-winning shot in double overtime on the road at ACU on Saturday. Now, she joins the podcast ahead of a big week for the Wolverines. Get full access to WAC Hoops Nation Newsletter at www.wachoopsnation.com/su...

The GCU women’s basketball team has swept the in-state opponents, are currently on an 11-game win streak, and finally have the balance they have been lacking over the last three seasons. Is 2024-25 finally the season to get over the hump and win the WAC? Grad student Laura Erikstrup is a big part of the success and she jumps on the podcast to discuss the Lopes. Get full access to WAC Hoops Nation...

Payton Hull is turning into an ACU legend. The Super Sophomore was the Wildcats leading scorer during her freshman campaign, averaging 14.9 points. And now, in her second season in West Texas, Hull is averaging 18.5 points for the 11-4 Wildcats. Hull sat down with Derryl to discuss the Wildcats, the non-conference success, and her growth in the second season at ACU. Get full access to WAC Hoops Na...

CBU’s Grace Schmidt had been in an ongoing battle with tendinitis in her knees since her senior year of high school. It was a battle that stopped at Christmas Break last season when she underwent surgery to address a partial patellar tendon tear. Six months later, the rejuvenated junior is eager to return and help a CBU side looking to defend their regular season and tournament championships of a...

It is the first year of full Division I membership for the Tarleton Texans, and Billy Gillispie is back on the sidelines. The Texans won 25 games in 2023-24 and made an appearance in the WAC semifinals. Technically, the Texans were a weird loss at home to Utah Valley away from earning a share of the WAC regular season title. Now, with a fresh new roster, and an interesting perspective on NIL, Gill...

ACU head coach Brette Tanner is accustomed to his teams playing hard and winning a lot of games. At times in 2023-24, the Wildcats played hard. However, the inconsistency led to a less-than-stellar season, one in which Tanner believes was somewhat of a letdown for the Wildcats. However, Tanner is excited for his new squad even though there are a lot of new faces. Listen to what the fourth-year hea...

Players staying at the same school for the entirety of their career is a rare thing in college basketball these days. The transfer portal has made it easy to jump from school to school. However, Bella Earle is not one of those types of players. Earle will finish up her playing career at ACU, and has been a starter in every game over the past two seasons for Julie Goodenough’s squad. Listen in as s...

CBU women’s basketball head coach Jarrod Olson might be, at least on the surface, the most chill coach in all of Division I college basketball. However, all Olson does is win, win, win. Two WAC regular season and tournament titles in four years. And the Lancers already have a trip to the NCAA tournament under their belts fresh off a run to the WAC title in 2023-24. Losing Chloe Webb, Nae Calhoun,...

Remember the names Bella Earle and Payton Hull. ACU women’s basketball fans will hear those two names many times throughout the 2024-25 season. However, according to head coach Julie Goodenough, the Wildcats have more depth than the two All-WAC performers. ACU plays a style of basketball that is reminiscent of defending WAC champion CBU, and Goodenough loves for her team to get after it. #WAChoops...

It is the final season in the WAC for GCU. So, can the GCU women’s basketball team get over the hump and shake those WAC semifinal woes in 2024-25? Tiarra Brown is back. Plus some key additions that will help the Lopes be more efficient on the offensive end. Keep an eye on Trinity San Antonio, who played in the Olympics this Summer with Puerto Rico. Molly Miller is excited about her squad and shar...

In some preseason polls, many already have Southern Utah tabbed to finish last in the WAC. Head coach Rob Jeter loves that because he believes that means people don’t know his team and what they are capable of accomplishing in year two. The T-Birds have size, experience, and what Jeter says is a group that enjoys being around one another. Give it a listen to learn more about the T-Birds. #WAChoops...

Second-year head coach Bill Brock believes the Texans will be much better in 2024-25. There is experience, size, and now a full offseason to get even more comfortable in Stephenville. Faith Aker, among others, is back. And with the finish to the 2023-24 season, Brock believes there is momentum brewing for his Texan squad. Brock also discusses his family and their importance in his coaching career....

After setting a new standard for wins by a first-year head coach at Utah Valley, Todd Phillips is back for year two. The Wolverines have a little more depth than in 2023-24, plus more shooters on the floor. In an ever-changing transfer portal where guys come and go, especially at the mid-major level, Phillips and his staff do the best they can with the resources they have in order to be competitiv...

Utah Valley head coach Dan Nielson jumped on the podcast last week to talk about the Wolverines. Nielson returns quite a handful of his roster from 2023-24. Ally Criddle, Tessa Chaney, Tahlia White, Kylee Mabry, and Amanda Barcello just to name a few. The Wolverines have size, and some athleticism in the backcourt, which could help Nielson’s crew have a bounce back year in Orem. #WAChoops #ValleyF...

The Utah Tech Trailblazers are finally eligible for the NCAA Tournament. It has been a long four years. However, there is excitement in St. George. And who better to tell us why than head coach Jon Judkins. Noa Gonsalves and Beon Riley are back, among a handful of others. There are a lot of new faces, but Judkins says he loves the toughness of his team. Can that help the Trailblazers compete in th...

Experience is a key to success. And Seattle U women’s basketball head coach Skyler Young has brought in some experience from the transfer portal. Tai Kozlova is one of those veterans with Division I experience. The Moscow, Russia native has played at both Maryland and Dayton, and not prepares for her final season of college basketball in a Seattle U Redhawk uniform. Kozlova is part of a team with...

Skyler Young enters his second season as the head coach of the Seattle U women’s basketball team. And with a bunch of new faces, there is some excitement in the Emerald City. Young talks about the roster build, and how it is ready to compete in a WAC that is loaded with talent. Athleticism, size, and the ability to play multiple styles of basketball are what Young and his staff were after during t...

Having a player stay at a school their entire collegiate career is a rarity these days. However, Seattle U forward Kobe Williamson is gonna do just that. Williamson is in his fifth, and final year of college basketball. All five years, Williamson will have been in a Redhawk uniform. A share of a WAC regular season title, three straight 20-win seasons, and a CBI title. Now, Williamson, who is getti...

After dealing with a plethora of injuries in 2023-24, Utah Tech is hoping to keep everyone healthy. Macie and Madie Warren each suffered a torn ACL to end their season prematurely. Emily Isaacson also tore her ACL early in 2023-24. Kastyn Young never played a minute due to a torn hip labrum. And so it went. But, despite losing two of the greatest Trailblazers of all time in Maggie McCord and Breau...

Seattle U head coach Chris Victor is excited about where the Redhawk program is, and where it is going. The Redhawks are coming off another 20-plus win season, and a CBI championship. But, Seattle U will have to replace sharpshooter Cam Tyson, dynamic floor general Alex Schumacher, and the motor of Seyi Reiley. With Kobe Williamson, Paris Dawson and a handful of others, plus some experienced newco...