Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Sports Xtra: New Look Demon Deacons Looking to Take Next Step as Program
11/9/2021 11:30:00 AM | Women's Basketball, Les Johns
“We’re going to play faster than we have in the past and we’re more athletic.” - Jen Hoover
Key offseason additions and losses means a transformed roster for Wake Forest Women's Basketball, but the goal remains the same — return to the NCAA Tournament this season and then do some damage once they arrive.
The Demon Deacons celebrated their selection as a No. 9 seed in front of family and friends at Joel Coliseum in March, but then fell in a closely-contested first-round matchup in San Antonio to Oklahoma State.
With a younger, quicker and taller roster, coach Jen Hoover and her team are setting their collective sights on building upon last year's accomplishments. Wake Forest begins the season at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Mercer (ESPN+), last year's Southern Conference champions who finished 19-7 after a first-round NCAA Tournament defeat.
"We're looking forward to the first games of the season," Hoover said. "They won't be easy and Mercer is a really tough opponent to start. If we want to get back to the NCAA Tournament, we have to test ourselves against good opponents on the road. They're definitely going to be one of those, and will be one of the favorites to win their league. We're excited to get going."
Adding four highly-touted freshmen and a key transfer from Utah in Niyah Becker, getting this new-look team connected on the court has been a focus point for Hoover.
"There's been a great competitive spirit in practice," Hoover said. "With this group, we've done a lot more live playing than in the past, because we knew we needed that playing experience. We're still doing teaching and drill work, but we're also seeing them really compete against each other, whether it's a returner or freshman, it doesn't matter.
"There's obviously opportunities for playing time, and they've been a really fun group to coach. They really get after each other in practice every single day. We're going to play faster than we have in the past and we're more athletic. Those are things that will be different, and it will be exciting."
The Deacs are looking to play with more tempo in the past, and will substitute more frequently, keeping fresh bodies in the mix to better attack their opponents.
"We're looking at playing more than we ever have, and that's a challenge for me as a coach," Hoover said. "In our two scrimmages, my highest use was 28 minutes. I expect that will rise once we get going,, but I think we're going to play 9-11 during the season.
"We can see playing a two-headed point guard rotation, and believe they're going to bring different things to the team. Our team plays a little different, but are also used to playing with both Kaia Harrison and Elise Williams. We've talked about how to manage that and how that will look as a whole. That offers some versatility."
Becker, who played on the Canadian National Team along with returning post player Christina Morra, can play at both the three and the four spots on the court, providing some versatility for Hoover. Becker played in 21 games last season for Utah, starting 10.
"When you have kids who can play multiple positions, it allows you to play more people," Hoover said. "We've seen some bright spots in our scrimmages from everybody, just in different ways. What we look like this year is really exciting."
Harrison played 14.1 minutes a game last season as a backup, and is ready as a junior to take on a larger role leading the team as a point guard. She'll be sharing those duties with freshman Elise Williams, who enrolled in the spring and played in a couple of games.
"Elise is comfortable with the ball in her hand and wants to be a creator," Hoover said. "Kaia is really making an impact on the defensive end. We've challenged her to pick up point guard the full 94 feet. Now, you have to figure out how to do that without getting into foul trouble. They both play fast, just a different type of fast. Elise rewards people for getting down the court with a pass, where Kaia is just quicker with the ball.
"With Kaia, we will apply more pressure than we have in the past, because we are going to have her pick up the full 94 feet. She's really good at it and she does a great job of wearing down other point guards. She wears Elise down in practice, which is a benefit for us. Games will be easier for Elise because of Kaia and vice-versa."
The Deacs believe forcing turnovers will lead directly to offense in the form of easy transition baskets.
"I'm just excited to play with this new team," Harrison said. "We're pretty young, but we've been playing really well when we play fast. We defend really well. I'm excited to play with this new team. It's a fresh start. I feel like we're all determined to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
"We've really emphasized defense, and how that creates offense and fast transition buckets."
Also returning are long-range sharpshooters Jewel Spear and Alexandria Scruggs, as well as Morra, who hit more than 50 percent of her shots last season.
"We're shooting the ball really well right now, and I hope that continues," Hoover said. "That's encouraging, and will help us get Christina one-on-one looks in the paint. We're trying to figure out what those rotations will look like.
"We're going to keep people fresh, not have people taking possessions off and have the ability to change defenses. We're in phenomenal shape — probably better than we were at any point last year. Part of that is keeping people fresh."
Spear will likely be at the top of every team's Wake Forest scouting report, coming off a season in which she averaged double-digits while hitting 40 percent of her 3-point attempts.
"In one scrimmage, she made a bunch from the perimeter and in the other she got to the basket and finished some and-ones," Hoover said. "She knows she's going to get different coverages this year, and she's finding ways to be creative and score."
In addition to Williams, Hoover believes freshman Alyssa Andrews, Malaya Cowles and Raegyn Conely all have the chance to be special during their time at Wake Forest.
"You just never know, but we do like them," Hoover said when asked if they will have an impact in year one. "Alyssa Andrews is a kid who is athletic and long, and hits shots in practice and in scrimmages. She just goes out and performs. She's got a bright future ahead of her. Malaya Cowles is a post player from North Wilkesboro (N.C.), who was here with Elise last semester. She's done some really nice things. She has a great feel for the game and is strong. She's a phenomenal passer from the post position and has a tremendous feel and awareness of the game.
"Then Raegyn Conely, talk about shooting the ball — she can stroke it. She's another bigger guard, and is getting adjusted to the pace of the game. She's really good in-ball screens and makes good decisions.
Hoover is still unsure how many of the freshmen will make an immediate contribution, but does want to have a deep rotation.
"There's so much we like about the younger players. We want to get them time and game experience," she said. "We've been able to do that in scrimmages, but it's different when the games count."
The first opportunity to see the Demon Deacons in person comes at 4 p.m. Friday when they host Cornell at Joel Coliseum as the first half of a double-header with the men's team facing Western Carolina at 7 p.m.
The Demon Deacons celebrated their selection as a No. 9 seed in front of family and friends at Joel Coliseum in March, but then fell in a closely-contested first-round matchup in San Antonio to Oklahoma State.
With a younger, quicker and taller roster, coach Jen Hoover and her team are setting their collective sights on building upon last year's accomplishments. Wake Forest begins the season at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Mercer (ESPN+), last year's Southern Conference champions who finished 19-7 after a first-round NCAA Tournament defeat.
"We're looking forward to the first games of the season," Hoover said. "They won't be easy and Mercer is a really tough opponent to start. If we want to get back to the NCAA Tournament, we have to test ourselves against good opponents on the road. They're definitely going to be one of those, and will be one of the favorites to win their league. We're excited to get going."
Adding four highly-touted freshmen and a key transfer from Utah in Niyah Becker, getting this new-look team connected on the court has been a focus point for Hoover.
"There's been a great competitive spirit in practice," Hoover said. "With this group, we've done a lot more live playing than in the past, because we knew we needed that playing experience. We're still doing teaching and drill work, but we're also seeing them really compete against each other, whether it's a returner or freshman, it doesn't matter.
"There's obviously opportunities for playing time, and they've been a really fun group to coach. They really get after each other in practice every single day. We're going to play faster than we have in the past and we're more athletic. Those are things that will be different, and it will be exciting."
The Deacs are looking to play with more tempo in the past, and will substitute more frequently, keeping fresh bodies in the mix to better attack their opponents.
"We're looking at playing more than we ever have, and that's a challenge for me as a coach," Hoover said. "In our two scrimmages, my highest use was 28 minutes. I expect that will rise once we get going,, but I think we're going to play 9-11 during the season.
"We can see playing a two-headed point guard rotation, and believe they're going to bring different things to the team. Our team plays a little different, but are also used to playing with both Kaia Harrison and Elise Williams. We've talked about how to manage that and how that will look as a whole. That offers some versatility."
Becker, who played on the Canadian National Team along with returning post player Christina Morra, can play at both the three and the four spots on the court, providing some versatility for Hoover. Becker played in 21 games last season for Utah, starting 10.
"When you have kids who can play multiple positions, it allows you to play more people," Hoover said. "We've seen some bright spots in our scrimmages from everybody, just in different ways. What we look like this year is really exciting."
Harrison played 14.1 minutes a game last season as a backup, and is ready as a junior to take on a larger role leading the team as a point guard. She'll be sharing those duties with freshman Elise Williams, who enrolled in the spring and played in a couple of games.
"Elise is comfortable with the ball in her hand and wants to be a creator," Hoover said. "Kaia is really making an impact on the defensive end. We've challenged her to pick up point guard the full 94 feet. Now, you have to figure out how to do that without getting into foul trouble. They both play fast, just a different type of fast. Elise rewards people for getting down the court with a pass, where Kaia is just quicker with the ball.
"With Kaia, we will apply more pressure than we have in the past, because we are going to have her pick up the full 94 feet. She's really good at it and she does a great job of wearing down other point guards. She wears Elise down in practice, which is a benefit for us. Games will be easier for Elise because of Kaia and vice-versa."
The Deacs believe forcing turnovers will lead directly to offense in the form of easy transition baskets.
"I'm just excited to play with this new team," Harrison said. "We're pretty young, but we've been playing really well when we play fast. We defend really well. I'm excited to play with this new team. It's a fresh start. I feel like we're all determined to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
"We've really emphasized defense, and how that creates offense and fast transition buckets."
Also returning are long-range sharpshooters Jewel Spear and Alexandria Scruggs, as well as Morra, who hit more than 50 percent of her shots last season.
"We're shooting the ball really well right now, and I hope that continues," Hoover said. "That's encouraging, and will help us get Christina one-on-one looks in the paint. We're trying to figure out what those rotations will look like.
"We're going to keep people fresh, not have people taking possessions off and have the ability to change defenses. We're in phenomenal shape — probably better than we were at any point last year. Part of that is keeping people fresh."
Spear will likely be at the top of every team's Wake Forest scouting report, coming off a season in which she averaged double-digits while hitting 40 percent of her 3-point attempts.
"In one scrimmage, she made a bunch from the perimeter and in the other she got to the basket and finished some and-ones," Hoover said. "She knows she's going to get different coverages this year, and she's finding ways to be creative and score."
In addition to Williams, Hoover believes freshman Alyssa Andrews, Malaya Cowles and Raegyn Conely all have the chance to be special during their time at Wake Forest.
"You just never know, but we do like them," Hoover said when asked if they will have an impact in year one. "Alyssa Andrews is a kid who is athletic and long, and hits shots in practice and in scrimmages. She just goes out and performs. She's got a bright future ahead of her. Malaya Cowles is a post player from North Wilkesboro (N.C.), who was here with Elise last semester. She's done some really nice things. She has a great feel for the game and is strong. She's a phenomenal passer from the post position and has a tremendous feel and awareness of the game.
"Then Raegyn Conely, talk about shooting the ball — she can stroke it. She's another bigger guard, and is getting adjusted to the pace of the game. She's really good in-ball screens and makes good decisions.
Hoover is still unsure how many of the freshmen will make an immediate contribution, but does want to have a deep rotation.
"There's so much we like about the younger players. We want to get them time and game experience," she said. "We've been able to do that in scrimmages, but it's different when the games count."
The first opportunity to see the Demon Deacons in person comes at 4 p.m. Friday when they host Cornell at Joel Coliseum as the first half of a double-header with the men's team facing Western Carolina at 7 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
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