Summit League teams will lift in the curtain on the 2022-23 season in just a few weeks, bringing in the rush of excitement that comes with a new year. And what is more central to that excitement than the unknown?
In that spirit, here are five Summit women’s newcomers that could immediately weave themselves into the fabric of the upcoming season.
Dru Gylten | South Dakota State | Graduate Student | Guard – Utah transfer
Sometimes the rich simply get richer? The Jackrabbits have a ton of firepower back from the WNIT champion roster, as well as – presumably – the healthy return of sophomore Paige Meyer. Aaron Johnston now augments that roster with what would seem to be the perfect player: an accomplished, pass-first playmaker in Utah transfer Dru Gylten.
The Rapid City native returns to South Dakota after a five-year career at Utah that saw plenty of injuries but, ultimately, a key role in the Utes’ trip to the NCAA Tournament last season and the fifth most assists in program history. In fact, Gylten averaged 5.2 assists per game last year, putting her in the 99th percentile of all Division I women’s players per HerHoopStats.com. Utes’ coach Lynne Roberts called Gylten an
extension of herself on the court, a prospect that should further reinforce that the sky's the limit feeling for an experienced and deep Jackrabbits roster in 2022-23.
Madison Grange | South Dakota | Senior | Guard – Utah Valley transfer
It may be controversial to mutter the word “rebuilding” around South Dakota. Has the program been so good over the past decade that it’s graduated past that term? However you feel, this will undoubtedly be a different Coyotes team, and first-year coach Kayla Karius hit the transfer portal to add scoring punch that was lost with the graduation of the iconic perimeter duo of Chloe Lamb and Liv Korngable.
Utah Valley transfer Madison Grange could be looked at to carry a portion of that offensive responsibility alongside returnees like Grace Larkins and Macy Guebert. The senior guard brings the experience one would expect, having been a locked-in starter two out of her four years as a Wolverine. She’s coming off her best shooting campaign, drilling 39.2 percent of her three point attempts while averaging 10.6 points per game.
Her best outing last year came against UTRGV in January, when she hit six three pointers en route to 24 points. Yotes fans got used to that type of performances on a more or less nightly basis with Lamb and Korngable and while that’s a historic standard, Karius does have a player in Grange – and fellow sharp-shooting California Baptist transfer Nicole Avila-Ambrosi – that can get hot from the perimeter.
E’Lease Stafford | Kansas City | Graduate Student | Guard/Forward – Utah State transfer
The Roos enter 2022-23 in a similar position to the USD: replacing a head coach along with several all-league caliber players. First-year coach Dionnah Jackson-Durrett was tasked with replacing all the starters and significant rotation contributors from Kansas City’s 21-win team a year ago, and into that swirl of opportunity steps Utah State transfer E’Lease Stafford.
The Lawrence, Kan. native returns to the Kansas City area after a career that’s spanned three quality years at ETSU and, most recently, a great season at Utah State. She had her most productive campaign a year ago, averaging 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while having far and away her best season distributing the ball (1.8 assists per game). The versatile forward has also been a capable outside shooter in the past, knocking down 37.2 percent from the three-point line as a Buccaneer in 2019-20.
Stafford won the final Mountain West Player of the Week award of last season, which could serve as a confidence builder in what was a tough league. The MW finished just one spot ahead of the Summit in conference NET ranking last year, but the overall depth of competition was more balanced. Eight MW teams finished within the top 186 of the NET rankings, while the Summit had just three teams fall into that band (USD, SDSU and Kansas City).
Taylor Brown | North Dakota State | Graduate Student | Forward – American transfer
Jory Collins and Bison welcome in a lot of new faces and likely feel confident about their prospects in what seems primed to be an open Summit race underneath the heavily-favored Jackrabbits. American transfer Taylor Brown knows a thing or two about faring well in league competition, as the forward helped the Eagles win the Patriot League tournament and grab an NCAA bid a year ago.
The Lakeville, Minn. native did a little bit of everything last season, landing on the all-league third team while averaging 10.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Her American coaches and teammates
praised her basketball IQ and ability to help a team gel together, which should be a boon as NDSU’s new-look squad develops throughout the year. Other newcomers to watch include highly-productive Junior College transfer Kristina Efoko Yomane and Bradley transfer Abbie Draper, who landed on the all-Missouri Valley freshman team a year ago.
Ally Haar | Denver | Graduate Student | Guard – Niagara transfer
The Pioneers saw a lot of production leave via the transfer portal and Doshia Woods seemed to respond by laying a long-term foundation with a recruiting class that featured five freshmen. Woods did, however, also tap into the portal herself to add experience in the form of Niagara transfer Ally Haar and Northern Illinois transfer Mikayla Brandon. Both should be important players for the Pios’ in 2022-23 with Haar especially looking a perfect fit for the high-octane, three-point heavy basketball that Woods has favored.
The West Chester, Ohio native was a key cog for the Purple Eagles the past two seasons, rarely leaving the court and averaging 10.9 points per game. She’s also never been shy about letting fly from distance, averaging 7.2 three-point attempts per game since becoming a permanent part of the Niagara rotation two seasons ago. That should fit well into what Woods expects of her players, and could lead to some gaudy nights for Haar and the Pios.
