SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022)—The 2022-23 season has arrived for the UC Santa Barbara women's basketball team as the Gauchos head north to take on Santa Clara in a Monday matinee. As the season is set to tip-off, we take a look at the Gauchos set to take the floor this year.
"We are coming into the year with a lot of excitement," Head Coach Bonnie Henrickson said. "We are big as we've ever been at the permitter position. We have size at both the guard and the forward position and we will handle the point guard position by committee, which has been good so far."
The Gauchos are coming off of a 15-12 overall record last season with a 9-8 mark in conference play that saw them finish in the top half of The Big West. This year UCSB looks to build upon that success with a solid balance of fresh faces and experienced vets.
"I think we have as many buttons and as much quality depth as we have had here," Henrickson said. "The athleticism and skill we have one-through-five that impact the game in a positive way, and in so many different ways, from being able to get to the rim, to knocking down threes, putting the ball on the floor, and creating shots for their teammates. This group is very unselfish and has a humility about it that will impact our improvement in a positive way."
Among the returners are a pair of seniors that have their sights set on competing for a Big West title in what will likely be their final season in blue and gold.
Ila Lane, the Gaucho big that as named to The Big West Preseason Team and Lisa Leslie Award Watch List, is coming off of season where she led the conference in rebounds (9.7 rpg), fieldngoal percentage (.580), and double-doubles (12). She joins an experienced wing in Alexis nTucker who in her first year with the team last season ranked top-20 in conference and third on the team in scoring (11.0 ppg). They will be mainstays in the Gauchos' starting five giving bringing invaluable experience to the first group.
Another pair of key returners will be the two point guards that have been tasked in taking over some of the responsibilities that Gaucho alum Danae Miller had the last few seasons: Callie Cooper and Anya Choice. In the team's two exhibition games, Choice was the starter with Cooper coming off the bench and equally splitting the minutes with her at the position.
Some of the new faces include sophomore forward Alexis Whitfield, a power-five transfer from Washington who is at 6-2 is a very capable scorer and rebounder. Jessica Grant is a freshman guard who had a historical high school career shooting the deep ball and fellow freshman Skylar Burke hopes to bring energy effort to the defensive end as an intense on-ball defender.
"From a talent standpoint we have put ourselves in position to compete throughout the regular season and get a high seed for The Big West Tournament," Henrickson said. "We can play fast, play big, and play small which is important in this league because the teams are so different in style and size night in and night out."
Last month, The Big West released its Preseason Coaches' Poll where the Gauchos were picked finish second in conference, their highest finish in the Henrickson era. The team garnered two first-place votes finishing only behind reigning champion Hawai'i.
UCSB opens up the season with six highly-competitive games in November as the teams sees Santa Clara, Sacramento State, Southern Utah, and Loyola Marymount on the road, while also hosting Pepperdine and Idaho State.
"As we begin the non-conference season our defensive effort and intensity will need to lead the way. We have the length, speed and athleticism to be disruptive. Creating offense from our defense is imperative for us moving forward."
Schedule
Monday, Nov. 7nd, 2022 — 4:00 PM
UCSB Santa Barbara at Santa Clara
Santa Clara, Calif. — Leavey Center
WCC Network
On the Air
Tomorrow's season opener will be aired live on the WCC Network and live stats will be available. Links can be found on the schedule page.
Lane Named to Lisa Leslie Award Watch List
For the third season in a row, senior center IIa Lane from the UCSB women's basketball team was selected by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the 2023 Lisa Leslie Award Watch List. This award is awarded annually the top center in women's college Basketball. Lane first got selected in the 2020-2021 season and then again in the 2021-2022 season. She is one of the 20 centers to be inducted into this list.
The list will be narrowed down to 10 in mid-February and then 5 finalists will then be chosen in March to be presented to Lisa Leslie and to the committee. To help Lane move forward in this selected process, fans have the chance to vote. Fan voting opens up Friday, October 21 so fans can vote for their favorite players in each of the three rounds. The top ten player selections from the fan vote will get an additional vote towards making the next round.
To check out all 20 centers on the list, click here.
Gauchos Picked 2nd in Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, Lane Selected to Preseason Team
The Big West announced its Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll and Team on Oct. 20, 2022. The UCSB women's basketball team was picked to finish second, which is the program's highest preseason ranking in the Bonnie Henrickson era. Making the preseason team for the second straight year was senior big Ila Lane.
After finishing third in the poll the last two seasons, the Gauchos make their way into the top two garnering two first place votes and finishing only behind reigning champion Hawai'i.
For the second straight year Gaucho big Ila Lane has been selected by the coaches around The Big West as one of the top players in the conference. Last season she led the conference with 9.7 rpg, a .580 field goal percentage, and 12 doubles-doubles and was named to the All-Big West Second Team. She also ranked eighth with nearly a block a game, 11th with 12.1 ppg, and 12th with 32 mpg.
