University of Pennsylvania women’s basketball team lost some standouts recently, but the team is looking forward to grow with this new-look roster, writes Kerith Gabriel for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
In the last two seasons, Penn lost guard Kayla Padilla after she transferred to USC, and then lost guard Jordan Obi, who scored over 1,000 points in her collegiate career before graduating at the end of last season.
One of the returning players is senior Stina Almqvist, who is now expected to take on a bigger leadership role after averaging 15.3 points per game last season.
“Jordan obviously was a tremendous player and the same with Kayla,” Almqvist said during Ivy League media day. “[But] I think that’s just like how college is. It’s just like we found a way to play without Kayla, we’re going to find a way to play without Jordan, the same way as this team is going to find a way to play without [me] next year.”
Penn also has an emerging star in sophomore guard Mataya Gayle, the reigning Ivy League rookie of the year.
Coach Mike McLaughlin, now entering his 15th season, is the longest-tenured head coach in Ivy League basketball.
He’s excited to see the team build and preaches the importance of entering the season “with the right mindset.”
Read more about Penn women’s basketball’s new-look roster in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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