A new season brings with it plenty of uncertainty, but at least one thing is clear in the Summit ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. We are living in the era of the explosive lead guard.
North Dakota’s Kacie Borowicz was named
Preseason Player of the Year, and rightfully so. Though you could say the same for Oral Robert’s Hannah Cooper, South Dakota’s Grace Larkins and North Dakota State’s Heaven Hamling. Had any of those three taken the season’s biggest speculative honor instead, no one could’ve reasonably batted an eyelash.
Of the hundreds of women that suited up in Division I last season, just 97 averaged at least 16.5 points per game. That Summit quartet each found themselves in that group of upper tier scorers, and now each will try to find a way to elevate respective games that have already terrorized defenses. But that’s not all the veteran guards have in common.
As Borowicz, Cooper, Larkins and Hamling search for ways to keep growing individually, they can each make a case as the focal point of a team that could challenge preseason favorite South Dakota State (and the Jackrabbits own star guard in Paige Meyer) at the top of the Summit.
Here’s what lies ahead for these four star guards:
Hannah Cooper – Oral Roberts
For Cooper, the massive jump has already come.
The Golden Eagle senior had been utilized as a pass-first guard that had averaged just over six points per game when Kelsi Musick took over before last season. She then flourished in Musick’s up-tempo system, using it as rocket fuel to post gaudy scoring numbers (20.3 ppg), while still contributing elsewhere (4.3 apg, 4.7 rpg).
So what comes next for her? The Golden Eagles do return Cooper and other key players, like Ruthie Udoumoh, from a 12-win team, but have 10 newcomers joining the program. For Musick, these additions could pair with Cooper’s mid-range and slashing prowess to help ORU’s system burn even brighter this season.
“I think this offense fits her game and her style of play extremely well,” the second-year coach said. “I think with the people we’re surrounding her with she’s going to be able to excel and do even more things with her game.”
Of the four teams, it’s the Golden Eagles that have the steepest climb up the standings. But they were competitive during Cooper’s breakout last season, and as more pieces are brought in to fit Musick’s unique system, the formula could be there for even more wins.
Heaven Hamling – North Dakota State
In contrast, Hamling will have more familiarity around her in Fargo.
The senior will be flanked by the deepest guard rotation in the conference, and she said the goal is simple: win the Summit. She’s long been the focal point for head coach Jory Collins, averaging at least 13 points per game in each of her three seasons as a Bison. Entering her fourth year, there’s a different feeling from when she arrived as Collins has continued to build the program.
“It’s a night and day difference,” Hamling said. “When I joined we were just trying to just get kids on the court, on the roster. Now we have a culture, we’ve established something, have goals and are right there.”
If the Bison, picked second in the preseason poll, achieve that goal, it will be in no small part because of Hamling, whose ability to punish teams from distance has been a constant during her time in the Summit. She has finished second in the league in three-point makes each of the past three seasons, all while shooting 38 percent from three during her Bison career.
Alongside sophomore star Elle Evans, who herself could be a POY contender, NDSU has as strong a case as any to challenge for the league title.
Grace Larkins – South Dakota
For Larkins part, the next evolution in her game could be incremental. And what other way could it be?
She covered nearly every inch of the court for South Dakota last year, leading the team in scoring (17.5 ppg), rebounding (7.9 rpg) and assists (4.4 apg), and posting an assist rate that was among the highest in the country for a team that was finding itself under first-year coach Kayla Karius. Understandably, she said she spent the offseason trying to get one percent better every day, with a focus on defense.
“I would describe myself as hard-working,” she said. “I’m a gritty player, I get really into the game and try to do what it takes to win.”
The Coyotes – who landed in third in the preseason poll with two first-place votes – will be banking on that grittiness to lead them back up the standings. Better health and continued development from burgeoning sophomore stars Carley Duffney and Walker Demers could give the Coyotes the boost to not rely on their junior star as much, all while re-entering the familiar airspace of conference contention.
Kacie Borowicz - North Dakota
Program records will continue to fall in Grand Forks this season.
Such is the expectation of head coach Mallory Bernhard as Borowicz continues to take the floor. The senior has been borderline unstoppable the past two seasons, averaging over 20 points per game. Opposing teams know that, and attacking defenses designed specifically to stop you is part of what the pair have worked on this offseason.
“You definitely see gameplans that are completely focused on what Kacie is going to do,” Bernhard said. “She has a lot of tools in the toolbox and we are going to try and keep adding to it.”
The senior’s ability to generate a steady stream of offense, particularly from the free throw line, is a big reason the Fighting Hawks checked in just a tick behind USD at fourth in the preseason poll. The team did lose a lot of veterans over the offseason, and players filling that leadership void – whether its Sammiya Hoskin, D.J. Davis or others – is something Bernhard is counting on.
Overall, others stepping up around UND’s star could be the recipe for the Fighting Hawks to challenge in March.
