It’s expected to be a difficult climb back to the top of Colonial Athletic Association women’s basketball for Delaware.
Coming off a pair of championship seasons, the rebuilding Blue Hens were picked sixth in the CAA’s preseason coaches’ poll, announced Thursday morning.
Drexel was a near-unanimous No. 1.
Delaware is in its first season under coach Sarah Jenkins. The ex-UD associate head coach, who was on the Penn State staff in 2021-22, was hired after her former Blue Hens boss Natasha Adair became Arizona State coach last March.
Despite a completely revamped roster, Jenkins isn’t limiting her team’s aspirations.
“We have a very young group,” Jenkins said. “We have a group of players who have not played together yet, so that presents its own challenges. But I’m really anxious to see [them] getting an opportunity. It’s an opportunity they have to show themselves, show their skill sets and do something different.
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“We talk about it in the locker room every day and we’re gonna be the first team with a whole new team to win the CAA championship.”
Delaware is coming off a 2021-22 season in which it went 24-8, placed second in the CAA and then upset Drexel on the Dragons’ home court in the CAA Tournament title game. The Blue Hens lost at Maryland in the NCAA Tournament’s opening round.
That followed a 2020-21 season in which the Hens finished 24-5, were CAA regular-season champions, lost in the conference tourney title game to Drexel but reached the WNIT Final Four.
Jenkins will send a new team onto the court, however, as Delaware graduated two-time CAA Player of the Year Jasmine Dickey, who played 20 games as a rookie with the WNBA’s Dallas Wings this year; fellow first-team All-CAA pick Ty Battle; and fellow starters Lizzie Oleary and Paris McBride. Starting guard Tyi Skinner followed Adair to Arizona State.
The Blue Hens’ top returning scorer, Tara Cousins, averaged 3.5 points per game last year while Makayla Pippins’ 4.5 rebounds per game led in that category. They are joined by other returnees, several freshmen and a slew of transfers.
No Delaware players made the preseason All-CAA teams.
Delaware opens the season Nov. 7 at Longwood. The home schedule commences Nov. 10 against Columbia. The CAA schedule kicks off Dec. 20 with a home game against Hofstra.
The CAA is a 13-team league now with the addition of Hampton, Monmouth, North Carolina A&T and Stony Brook and departure of James Madison. Campbell joins as the 14th CAA school in 2023-24.
CAA women’s basketball preseason coaches’ poll
- 1. Drexel (10 first-place votes), 142 points
- 2. Charleston (1), 125
- 3. Stony Brook, 108
- 4. Elon, 103
- 5. Towson (2), 99
- 6. DELAWARE, 92
- 7. William & Mary, 81
- 8. Northeastern, 70
- 9. North Carolina A&T, 58
- 10. (tie)-Hampton, 43
- 10. (tie)-Monmouth, 43
- 12. UNC-Wilmington, 28
- 13. Hofstra, 22
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