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PROVO — BYU women's basketball opened the second offseason under head coach Amber Whiting last summer with 16 players, a loaded freshman class, and a handful of pillars in seniors Lauren Gustin and Kaylee Smiler and junior point guard Nani Falatea.
By the end of the 2023 calendar year, the Cougars look like a whole new team as they take a 10-3 record into the Big 12 opener Saturday at No. 23 TCU (3 p.m. MST, ESPN+).
That's not entirely a bad thing.
Through a season-ending knee injury to guard Arielle Mackey-Williams, the departure from the program of Falatea for undisclosed reasons, and transfers of Jennah Isai and Jana Sallman, Whiting's second-year group has had to adjust on the fly and grow up in a big way with two freshmen in the starting lineup.
"In June, I had 16 players. I'm down to 13, with three that we lost along the way; they've been huge holes to fill," Whiting said. "It's not what you see coming into every game, and losing Smiler to concussion protocol last game (against Nevada) was hard, too. But I've liked the grit and toughness I've seen from these girls that have battled through trials along the way. I feel like it shows their character, and it shows a lot about them."
Of course, Gustin — the NCAA rebounding leader at 15.5 per game to go along with 16.9 points — has helped ease the transition. But so has a freshman class taking on an outsized load of change and transition, and a couple of key transfers like former Boston forward Lauren Davenport, who transferred to BYU to be closer to family in Idaho Falls, and has started one of her 13 games in a BYU uniform.
"That was a big reason why I transferred," said Davenport, the 5-foot-11 junior averaging 5.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. "I remember playing in Boston, and whether good or bad, all of my teammates would have their families there and I would just go straight to the locker room after every game. It was tough; I feel for any player who has to go through that. Now I get to see my family after almost every game. It's done a lot for my confidence."
It's shown recently, too, with Davenport scoring in double figures in each of the Cougars' past two games including a season high-tying 12 points and three rebounds against Missouri State before Christmas.
"It relaxes me a lot to know I have that support system there," Davenport said. "It's definitely helped my game."
The freshman class has also come a long way, but not just in starters Amari Whiting (11.2 points, 5.3 rebounds per game) and Kailey Woolston (14.5 points, 3.7 rebounds). The same can be said for fellow freshman Ali'a Matavao, a two-time Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year who averaged 5.1 minutes in all 12 games of nonconference play and has been a key cog off the bench for a top-100 team in the NET that takes pride in defense and rebounding.
"I think we're a whole different team," Matavao said. "We've grown so much, and we all know our roles and what we need to do. We're different, but it's because we've grown so much."
It's all led up to this weekend, when the Cougars rekindle an old Mountain West rivalry with a TCU team that has won five of the last nine meetings in Fort Worth, Texas, and is led by Oregon transfer Sedona Prince, who is averaging 24.0 points, 16.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
There's no better way to start conference play in a league that features five Associated Press Top 25 teams and six teams in the NET's top 45. That includes No. 5-ranked Texas and former BYU star Shaylee Gonzales, and an 11-0 Baylor squad that boasts wins over Utah, Oregon, Miami and Providence.
"Every team that we face is going to be good. There are no easy games out there," Whiting said. "Every single game, we have to go in and fight. As long as they fight and are resilient, have the grit and toughness they showed in the preseason, I'm OK with whatever happens. But I feel like we're going to surprise a lot of teams. These girls have stepped in and really want to do that. I'm excited for what they can do this season."
