2015-16 USC Women's Basketball Season Outlook
November 02, 2015 | Women's Basketball
Cynthia Cooper-Dyke does not know mellow. The high-energy coach and her lively personality have injected a new level of enthusiasm into the USC women's basketball program. The impact was instantaneous. With Cooper-Dyke at the helm two seasons ago, the Women of Troy won their first-ever Pac-12 Tournament Championship. Last season, USC was unable to replicate that impressive run with a thinned roster, but already this year's Trojans are showing signs of new life and liveliness for the fast-approaching 2015-16 campaign. USC's exhibition game is set for this Sunday (Nov. 8) at 2 p.m. at Galen Center. "This year we have a lot of new faces so, a lot of different energy with the team," Cooper-Dyke said of her new-look USC crew. "We&'ve done a lot more teambuilding, just to get everybody on the same page. But we are excited about our potential and we are working hard to really be one of the stronger teams in the Pac-12."
Only five Women of Troy return from last year's roster, with Jordan Adams, Brianna Barrett and Courtney Jaco standing out as the only players with at least two seasons of work under their belts at Troy. Returners Alexis Lloyd and Kristen Simon played their first seasons as Trojans last year. As the veterans of the bunch, that group is joined by a solid seven new Trojans set to hit the court this season. Two transfers, three international additions, one California product and one North Carolina native will all don Cardinal and Gold for the first time in 2015-16.
The international flavor coming to Troy this season adds a new element to the USC gameplan. In the recent past, no more than one international player has been on a USC roster at a time. This year, USC welcomes Candela Abejon from Spain, Dani Milisic from Australia and Khaedin Taito from New Zealand. Two more Trojan newcomers also have strong ties overseas. A 2012 Olympian for Great Britain, Temi Fagbenle was raised in London and her family now lives in Nigeria. She joins the Trojan Family with one year of eligibility left after finishing her degree at Harvard. True freshman Marguerite Effa, meanwhile, also has roots in Africa, having lived in Cameroon before moving to California, where she attended high school.
"I enjoy it because you have some different players that are hungry, that listen and actually do what you say without questioning,"Â Cooper-Dyke said of her Trojans from abroad. "It is great to have an international kind of flair to our program right now and this is just another phase of building the USC program and the brand to where we want it to be."
USC's two homegrown newcomers are true freshman Aliyah Mazyck, from Charlotte, N.C., and Connecticut transfer Sadie Edwards, who joined the Women of Troy in January 2015 and will be eligible for competition after this fall stretch of 2015.
Of that set of seven newcomers, Fagbenle is expected to make an instant impact. An All-Ivy League honoree while at Harvard, Fagbenle's athleticism will be immediately apparent to opponents and fans. She's already shining as a leader on and off the court for the Trojans.
"Temi is incredibly important for us, for so many different reasons," Cooper-Dyke said of Fagbenle. "One, she is an incredible talent, two, she has incredible size and length. But she also brings a level of maturity to our team that we were in desperate need of. She is also as smart as a whip and she can just help so many young players get better quickly."
Fagbenle will preside over the paint for the Trojans along with returning sophomore post Simon. Newcomers Effa and Milisic also will loom large down low to help deepen the USC inside presence. Milisic is set as a Spring 2016 enrollee, joining the Trojans after the fall semester.
In the backcourt, USC returns a set of three starting guards. Adams and Barrett combined forces as USC's assist leaders last season. The redshirt junior and senior, respectively, will both be called upon to help drive the USC offense. Adams boasts the ability to fit in at any spot on the court, while Jaco will likely be called upon to step back into her sniper position beyond the arc. Jaco was USC's top 3-point shooter last season, and as she enters her junior year she's again primed for her key role in the USC attack. True freshman Mazyck can also step in at the point, while Abejon, Edwards and Lloyd add further depth to the USC backcourt.
Cooper-Dyke and her returning staff of associate head coach Beth Burns and assistants Jualeah Woods and Taja Edwards have constructed a 2015-16 group of Women of Troy with great potential to improve on last year's 15-15 finish. USC graduated its top scorers and rebounders Kaneisha Horn and Alexyz Vaioletama -- who provided 12.0 and 10.3 points per game, respectively, along with 6.9 rebounds per game apiece, from last year's squad. Replacing those veterans may not be easy, but Cooper-Dyke is happy with her new roster of players and expects to fill the statistical void that the departed players have left. In fact, she sees this group of Trojans as decidedly capable of making a strong run in the Pac-12 and beyond.
After all, veterans Adams, Barrett and Jaco all know what it feels like to win the Pac-12 Tournament, and Cooper-Dyke knows what it takes to get the Trojans on a winning track. The Women of Troy were picked seventh in the Pac-12 Coaches Poll, but Cooper-Dyke sees a brighter future for her Trojans as they continue to grow in their roles.
"It is work ethic," Cooper-Dyke said. "Midway through that [2013-14] season, we got it, we bought in, and we were poised to go into the tournament and make a strong run. So for me, it is about getting everybody on the same page, everybody buying in and us having one focus, one drive and one passion. I think we are well on our way to doing that, that's the only way to be successful in a very strong and competitive Pac-12."
The USC women are due to start their 2015-16 campaign with a stretch of games on their home court at Galen Center. The Trojans host their exhibition game against Cal State San Marcos at 2 p.m. on Nov. 8 before kicking things off officially with a noon home opener against Hope International on Nov. 13. The home stand continues with a 4 p.m. clash against Santa Clara on Nov. 16 before the Women of Troy shove off on their first road trip of the year. Tickets for all games are on sale NOW! Go to gettrojantix.com to get in on the action coming to Galen in 2015-16!
