Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PROVO — Second-year head coach Amber Whiting isn't worried about BYU being picked to finish 11th in the Cougars' first year in the Big 12.
Her team isn't scared of it, either.
The Cougars were the top pick of the four new schools that include Houston, Cincinnati and UCF in the Big 12 preseason coaches' poll released Thursday, accounting for just 56 points in the 14-coach vote.
Texas, led by a veteran roster that includes former BYU guard and All-Big 12 preseason honorable mention Shaylee Gonzales, was projected to win the league, accounting for all but 12 first-place votes and 168 points.
But Whiting isn't concerned with the preseason poll. In addition to the regular adage of polls being simple media fodder and a talking point before games have been played, she said that a lot of coaches were more unsure than ever when they voted during league meetings due to college basketball's continued use of the transfer portal.
"I didn't really know where we land, but I'm also not crazy shocked," she told ESPN 960 radio in Utah County. "I'm also excited. That gives us so much time to grow in what we want to do. I'm just really excited for what's coming; you get to go play the best-of-the-best every night out. In the WCC, it's like playing Gonzaga every night. Every day in practice, we're prepared for that. ... I'm glad we're picked where we're picked, so we can go make some noise."
So could the Cougars, who were fifth in their final season in the West Coast Conference, finish 11th? Sure, Whiting admits. But they could also be significantly better after returning all five main starters, roughly 84% of the team's scoring output, and the nation's leading rebounder in Lauren Gustin, who flirted with the transfer portal before opting to finish out her career in Provo.
"For her to choose to come back and choose us, I told her that her sisters on the team are going to play so hard for her," Whiting said of Gustin, who averaged 16.1 points, 16.7 rebounds and 49.6% shooting a year ago. "I've already seen a different side of Lauren that I didn't see last year. I see her in the gym, shooting non-stop.
"I've seen her break down her stats and what she needs to get better on. Yes, she was the nation's leading rebounder last year, but it's been crazy to see the growth in her already just in skill level and her leadership. She opened up last year, but now she's pulling kids aside, putting her arm around them, teaching the young ones, and holding the line culturally for us."
Love this program and so blessed to be apart of it! #gocougshttps://t.co/36K9tjWzs8
— Lauren Gustin (@laurengus10) October 6, 2023
In addition to Gustin, the Cougars also bring back starting point guard Nani Falatea, the former East High star who averaged 15.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game; junior guard Ari Mackey-Williams, who spent the summer in international 3x3 tournaments with her native New Zealand; senior wing Kaylee Smiler; and junior post Emma Calvert, the 6-foot-4 forward with a smooth 3-point stroke from Fremont High.
Then there are the additions, a mammoth recruiting class that includes Amari Whiting, the former Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year and coach's daughter who is a year removed from season-ending knee surgery that ended her senior season at Timpview.
There's also Ali'a Matavao, the 6-foot forward from Las Vegas who and two-time Nevada state player of the year; and Kailey Woolston, the high-scoring MaxPreps All-American from Lone Peak who led the Knights to back-to-back 6A championships and earned Player of the Year honors from Gatorade and the Deseret News.
Just like everyone else, Whiting also added a handful of transfers.
Kylie Krebs, a 5-foot-7 junior guard from Oahu, Hawaii, joins the Cougars after two years at Glendale Community College in Arizona; and Idaho Falls native Lauren Davenport transferred to BYU after averaging 5.9 points in 19.9 minutes per game in two seasons at Boston University after being recruited by Boise State, Gonzaga, Pepperdine, Utah and Wyoming, among others.
"I played against her when I was at Burley, so I knew who she was. When her name hit the portal, I called her high school coach immediately and tried to bring her closer to home," Whiting said. "She's a huge mismatch for us when she plays the four, but she also can play the three and be a bigger guard. ... She just gives versatility in the lineup and more depth. She can shoot it, she can defend, she's a hustle kid. She can do it all."
Listen to Whiting's full interview with ESPN radio in Utah County below, or here.
