Season Preview: 'Equal Opportunity' For Young Huskies
Brian Tom
11/20/2020
The 2020-21 women's basketball season is rapidly approaching and Washington head coach Jody Wynn has her team preparing to take the court for the first time after Thanksgiving Day. While the opponents, game times and other details regarding who the Huskies will play are not completely set, Wynn is starting to get a clearer picture of who will be suiting up in the Purple and Gold when they take the court for the first time.
What Wynn does know is that she will have a squad that is a nice mix of returning players and newcomers. She also expects it will be a collaborative effort in 2020-21.
“I think some of our strengths are that we’re going to relying on each individual and that we have a really good balance of upper classmen and under classmen,” Wynn said. “I feel like we’re going to move the ball well and the balance is going to be greater, so everyone is going to feel valuable and important every time they take the court. Not that they didn’t before hand, but our strength is going to be in ball movement and making each other better, rather than relying on one or two players to carry the bulk of the load.”
Wynn knew she would have to do without Amber Melgoza and Mai-Loni Henson due to graduation, plus several other contributors that had transferred, but when senior Missy Peterson went down early in training camp with an ACL injury and T.T. Watkins opted out due to Covid-19 concerns, Wynn is now counting on some players relegated to the shadows in the past to step into the limelight.
“I don’t think it falls on one person’s shoulders," Wynn said. ”It’s going to have to be done by committee. I think Haley Van Dyke is certainly emerging as someone that can score at all three levels – whether it’s at the rim, shooting pull-ups or hitting the three-ball. She’s also someone that generates offense through her defense. She was one of the leaders in the Pac-12 in steals per game, so she’s very valuable to us. Some of (the load) will fall on her shoulders along with Khayla Rooks and Lexi Griggsby as upperclassmen. Darcy Rees led us in 3-point shooting last year, so there is some experience.
“It’s going to be equal opportunity and the ball is going to move. Our team is going to rely upon each other to score the basketball."
Quick Glance At The 2020-21 Huskies
Starters Returning (1)
Darcy Rees, 6-4, Jr., C
Other Players Returning (5)
Alexis Griggsby, 5-9, Sr., G
Callie Lind, 5-9, So., G
JaQuaya Miller, 6-3, So., C
Khayla Rooks, 6-1, Sr., F
Haley Van Dyke, 6-0, Jr., F
Newcomers (4)
Nia Lowery, 5-11, RS-Fr., G
Jayda Noble, 5-11, Fr., G
Tameiya Sadler, 5-8, Fr., G
Alexis Whitfield, 6-2, Fr., F
Starters Lost (4)
Mai-Loni Henson, F
Amber Melgoza, G
Missy Peterson (inj.), G
Rita Pleskevich (transfer), G
Will Not Play (3)
Grace Beasley (inj.), 5-7, Jr., G
Missy Peterson (inj.), 5-11, Jr., G
T.T. Watkins (opt out), 5-11, Jr., G
Coach Wynn Breaks Down The Team
SENIORS
#20 Khayla Rooks
Forward • 6-1 • San Marcos, Calif. (Mission Hills HS)
2019-20: 30 games/6 starts, 3.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 85% FT
Coach Wynn on Khayla:
Khayla Rooks is a coach on the floor. She has such high-level basketball IQ.
You tell her something and she understands and is able to articulate it to her teammates as well. She’s shouldering a little bit more of a leadership role this year and it has been great to see the ownership she is placing on herself. It’s been really fun to watch her growth from one year to the next, and now feeling like as a senior she knows she can no longer defer to someone else doing the job right. She’s been so valuable to us in practices because she can help be an extra voice on the floor for our four freshmen. That’s huge. She’s like a mother off the floor. It’s great to see her lead our young kids off the floor as well. She is someone that is so versatile for us that she will play 1 through 5 for us, just like Mai-Loni Henson. I like to call her our point forward. We expect her to value the basketball, continue to make some really high-level decisions and smart decision for out offense. She is just a great leader on-and-off the court.
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#35 Alexis Griggsby
Guard • 5-9 • Chatsworth, Calif. (Sierra Canyon HS)
2019-20: 22 games/1 start, 2.3 ppg, 10.3 mpg
Coach Wynn on Lexi:
She has had a tough go around with some injuries. Each year we start super excited about what she’s doing in October and by November, she’s out. She’s a kid that’s battled through quite a bit of adversity while she has been here but has managed to play and never sit out a year. She’s smart. She understands the system. She understands the game.
She’s got a really high basketball IQ and I expect her to be able to knock down the three-pointer with consistency this year. We need that from her.
That’s got to become the strength of her game and she’s working really hard at that. We’ve just got to keep her healthy to keep her on the floor. Her voice – on the bench, on the sideline, on the court – it’s very valuable to us. She is somebody that understands what we’re asking and looking for with every possession.
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JUNIORS
# 11 Haley Van Dyke
Forward • 6-1 • Moraga, Calif. (Campolindo HS)
2019-20: 30 games/1 start, 8.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.1 spg
Coach Wynn on Haley:
Being able to watch Amber (Melgoza) and Mai-Loni (Henson) these last couple of years and not have the pressure to try to do too much too early has allowed her to grow. I think it’s now time for her to spread her wings.
She’s a young lady that has learned a ton. Haley started as a freshman for us, who might not have been reliable for us defensively, but she is now somebody that is one of the Pac-12 leaders on the defensive side of the ball. She can score it and runs the floor like a gazelle. Haley’s best attribute is her ability to score when the ball is not in her hands. She constantly moves. She creates really good spacing for her teammates and she’s in phenomenal shape. The way she runs the floor, when we have the point guard find her, she’s so beautiful to watch in transition. She’s also become someone that is really understanding of half-court defenses and offenses. The sky’s the limit for Haley.
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# 53 Darcy Rees
Center • 6-4 • Adelaide, South Australia (Adelaide HS)
2019-20: 25 games/22 starts, 6.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 35.8% 3-pt
Coach Wynn on Darcy:
Darcy has grown tremendously over her almost three years. She came in never have shooting a three before in her life and she comes in to this season our most relied upon three-point shooter.
That doesn’t take away from her presence in the paint. I think naturally she’s very comfortable in facing the basket and excels in shooting the three and we’ve allowed her to grow into that role. But she’s also at 6-foot-4 someone that can get us an easy basket or rebound. She’s battling through an injury; she missed the last six games last year. She’s been off and out since mid February, so we’re just trying to get her back onto the court and confident again. She’s a very smart player and understands what we’re saying to her and makes adjustments that we are saying to her on the fly without having to walk through anything. She’s a leader. She’s using her voice to teach our young players. She just needs to work on being effective both on the inside and outside and to use her length to provide a good presence in the paint as well as be able to shoot that three ball.
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SOPHOMORES
# 0 Quay Miller
Center • 6-3 • Renton, Wash. (Kentridge HS)
2019-20: 29 games/6 starts, 5.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.3 spg
Coach Wynn on Quay:
The best thing about being a sophomore is that you’re no longer a freshman, and JaQuaya is feeling that every day, just having more confidence when she is out on the court. I think what people will see the most is just maturity. It really starts off the floor for her and taking care of business. She is preparing very well and came into camp in great shape. She is stronger. With all that, it really gave her confidence. So now, when she takes the court in practice, she is much more confident in her rotation defensively. Her communication has improved dramatically. She’s just comfortable. We’ve worked a lot on scoring the ball in a variety of ways for her. We want her to develop into a consistent three-point shooter as well as with her back to the basket.
Her versatility is growing each and every day. She has just turned into a fun kid to coach that brings a lot of energy in practice. We expect a big leap from her freshman to sophomore year.
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# 41 Callie Lind
Guard • 5-9 • Sammamish, Wash. (Eastlake HS)
2019-20: 13 games, 0.2 ppg, 0.1 rpg, started 2019 on the practice squad
Coach Wynn on Lind:
I am so impressed with Callie Lind. She took quarantine life and said, ‘I’m going to get better.’ Callie returned to campus in incredible physical shape and a much improved as a basketball player. She is knock down – I just call her Shooter. If she gets her feet set, she’s knocking the shot down. She was kind of thrown in last year as a walk-on midseason, now she has the understanding and I expect her to get minutes on the floor.
Her job is to get her feet set, stay out on that perimeter and her teammates will find her. She’s got a quick release and she’s worked tirelessly on developing that consistent three.
I think she is going to give us some good looks and some good minutes because of her hustle and her heart. She’s in really good shape and she can shoot that three.
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FRESHMEN
# 2 Tameiya Sadler
Guard • 5-8 • Vallejo, Calif. (St. Patrick-St. Vincent HS)
2019-20: ESPN.com 20th rated PG, #98 overall; 1,689 career points and 968 rebounds
Coach Wynn on Tameiya:
When we recruited Tameiya we saw a lock-down defender that was not afraid and very unselfish – almost too unselfish. She deferred to her teammates a lot. We didn’t know really quite what we were getting offensively, even though we saw her play numerous time. But she’s been a joy watching as her offensive game has grown. She’s been shooting the three, her ability to play downhill and get to the paint has been high level. Not only can she defend, offensively she’s making her teammates better. If they can get to their spots, she’s going to find them.
She’s a really good passer, extremely unselfish. She just makes the game easier for her teammates so they don’t have to do as much without the ball in their hands because Tameiya will do it.
She great off ball screens. She’s great in the press and makes great decisions. She’s learning. As good as a high school defender she was, she’s learning a new system. It might take a little time but she’s going to be a great Husky for sure.
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# 3 Jayda Noble
Guard • 5-11 • Colbert, Wash. (Mt. Spokane HS)
2019-20: Four-star recruit; #27 guard by prospectsnation.com and #29 according to ESPN
Coach Wynn on Jayda:
She’s so fun to watch. She’s an incredible athlete on the floor. She’s relentless on the glass at 5-foot-10 and elevates higher than anyone I’ve ever coached. Her ability to shoot jump shots in the women’s game is gold. We don’t rely on the three or layup only and she’s an extremely unselfish player. She can get by people with her athleticism and quickness, and she’s got a good mid-range game. The best thing about Jayda outside of her overall athleticism is she’s picking up on the defenses and she’s a lockdown defender. She moves really well. She and Tameiya both are like steel magnets. They’re fun to watch in the open court defensively and see their rotations.
Jayda’s special. She’s going to have a bright career. She’s a sponge and she’s improved so much in such a short time already.
I think we need to get her to be less unselfish with the absence of Missy Peterson and T.T. Watkins. I think she needs to step up her scoring ability. We kind of have to nudge her to look for her shot some because she’s thinking pass first. She has that ability. She has a bright future and is going to be a great Husky.
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# 15 Nia Lowery
Guard • 5-11 • Sacramento, Calif. (C.K. McClatchy HS)
2019-20: Redshirted the season; was a four-star recruit
Coach Wynn on Nia:
That redshirt year was such a blessing for Nia Lowry. It allowed her the opportunity to grow slowly and not be thrown into the fire right away when she might not have been ready. So being able to see firsthand what we’re doing -- whether it’s strategy or overall philosophy – she was able to just develop her skillset. I think she is a much-improved basketball player and she was able to see the level of competition within the Pac-12 and how great it is. As a redshirt, she has come back to campus confident and much more comfortable than she was at this point last year before she was medically out. She’s healthy now.
She’s a phenomenal athlete and can help us out in the open court and on the defensive side of the ball. She has the ability to play downhill and is an improved three-point shooter.
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# 23 Alexis Whitfield
Forward • 6-2 • West Hills, Calif. (Chaminade College Prep)
2019-20: Rated #61 overall and #15 forward in the 2020 class by ESPN
Coach Wynn on Lexi:
At 6-foot-1, Lexi has the ability to play both inside and out. In high school, she played a little point guard, so she’s comfortable handling the basketball and making decisions. She’s going to be playing all over the court for us. She can play in the paint. She can shoot the three. She can go to the hole. She can really jump. She’s learning everyday and like Haley Van Dyke and Khayla Rooks, she can play all over the court.
She’s just an amazing teammate. She works really hard. She’s going to have a bright future and career here.
She’s getting thrown into the mix right away, but one thing about Lexi, when the lights are on, she’s not afraid. She’s just going to go and play. We like that about her. She’s not caught thinking so much; she’s just playing the game. She is going to be a lot of fun to watch.