UK Women's Basketball Newcomers Ready to Contribute
Early in the 2017-18, Kentucky women’s basketball fans may need to keep a roster handy. That’s because six newcomers have joined head coach Matthew Mitchell’s team this season, and a number of them are expected to see significant playing time.
With the departures of Evelyn Akhator and Makayla Epps from last season’s squad, Mitchell knows there are some holes to fill on the team.
“There are a lot of statistical things that we will have to replace with the losses of Makayla and Evelyn,” Mitchell said. “We have some more depth this year and I think we have a chance to be a really athletic team.”
While replacing Akhator and Epps won’t be easy, Mitchell is high on his group of newcomers.
“We’re looking forward to what will be an exciting journey for this group of Wildcats,” the head coach said. “They’ve been a group that has embraced hard work.”
The excitement of the newcomers, as well as a new season in general, is somewhat tempered by the unknown, especially when it comes to players who have never played a game on this level. But Mitchell also knows that the athleticism of this team will allow the Wildcats to play a familiar style.
“I think those players inject some depth, some athleticism and some size,” Mitchell said of his newcomers. “We added four players that are 6-1 or 6-2 and have great length. What we’ve attempted to build a base of this summer is tempo and pace. If you look over the 10 previous years, it’s been more up-tempo than not and I think that’s what we believe will be the best way for this team to play.”
The group of six newcomers includes two guards and four frontcourt players.
Amanda Paschal, a junior college transfer originally from Brooklyn, and Kameron Roach, a true freshman from Hopkins, South Carolina, are the two newcomers at guard. Mitchell is excited about what each player brings to the team.
“Kameron Roach and Amanda Paschal, both of them can run the point, both of them can play with another point guard,” Mitchell said. “Kameron is really explosive and fast. She was used to scoring in high school, so she has a lot of confidence in that area. Amanda, her freshman year (in junior college) going down the stretch in the national tournament when her team won a national championship, her coach will tell you they put the ball in her hands. She really became a reliable scorer. She’s got a lot of game to her.”
Paschal knows that the experience she gained while winning back-to-back national junior college championships at Gulf Coast State College (Florida) will help her at UK. As for what else she brings to the team, Paschal sounds like a true point guard.
“The strength of my game is passing the ball, I see the floor well,” Paschal said. “Hitting open shots and mid-range (shots).”
As for Roach, she’s excited about the opportunity to play with another point guard.
“In high school, I actually played two guard, so I’m used to playing with a point guard,” she said. “I actually like playing off the ball because it allows me to score and create for my teammates. I don’t think that will be a problem.”
Roach also knows what she does well and what she needs to improve.
“I push the ball, I can find my teammates,” she said. “I’m working on less turnovers, and that’s going to be important for me to be effective. I play fast. My on the ball defense is getting better every day.”
None of the four incoming frontcourt players has ever played for UK, but junior Ogechi Anyagaligbo may have a slight advantage, at least initially, over the other three. That’s because Anyagaligbo was on campus last year and practicing with the team while sitting out after transferring from Stony Brook, where she was named the America East Conference Rookie of the Year in 2016.
Now, Anyagaligbo, a native of Miami, has brought her talents to Lexington, where she expects to contribute right away.
“I finish well around the basket,” Anyagaligbo said of the strength of her game. “I provide a nice defensive presence for blocks and deflections.”
Mitchell sees a ton of potential in Anyagaligbo.
“Ogechi has a lot of gifts,” Mitchell said. “She’s really rugged, tough and physical around the basket. She can make a major contribution for us this year.”
The three other frontcourt newcomers are outstanding athletes who will give this Kentucky team a great deal of versatility.
Dorie Harrison, a 6-3 center from Nashville, missed her junior year in high school due to an ACL injury, but was able to return to the court as a senior, averaging 14 points and 9.3 rebounds per game last season. Harrison used the injury year as a learning experience.
“I definitely learned something through my ACL injury,” she said. “It taught me perseverance and to not give up, even when things look down. Coming here, I tried to keep that same mindset.”
Harrison knows what her strengths are on the court.
“I run the floor well and I’m aggressive on defense,” she said. “Bringing that to the team and helping out any way I can.”
Mitchell is impressed with Harrison’s speed on the court.
“Dorie Harrison can run like the wind,” Mitchell said. “She can run as fast as a lot of the people on the team while jogging. She has a real sturdy body, strong, but can do some thigs, is not a one-dimensional player.”
Keke McKinney, a 6-2 freshman from Knoxville, comes to the Bluegrass after averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds as a senior for Fulton High School. McKinney is learning a new position, something Mitchell hopes will be beneficial to the team.
“Keke McKinney is sliding over, she’s kind of always been a stretch four probably all of her career,” Mitchell said. “But she has the versatility to slide over to the three and help us out. When you have some athletic bigs, they give you some options to mix things up defensively.”
McKinney sees pros and cons with her new position.
“I’m very versatile, I’m able to guard a big, but also a small,” the freshman said. “I can score at the three-point line, but also inside. I’m a three (small forward), which has been very challenging because you’re guarding tiny people, and I’m 6-2. They’re quick, and I’m not as quick, but I’ve been working on my quickness. The special part is that the tiny people are going to struggle guarding me.”
Tatyana Wyatt comes to UK after averaging 22.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last season while leading Columbus (Georgia) High School to a AAAA state championship. Wyatt also won a state volleyball championship during her Columbus career, and she thinks the two sports do have some correlation.
“In volleyball, there’s a lot of jumping and seeing the ball,” Wyatt said. “That’s like when going up for a rebound, you have to position yourself.”
As for her skills on the basketball court, Wyatt is also very versatile.
“Rebounding and running and also my ability to shoot the three ball and playing the post,” Wyatt said of her strengths. “I don’t really have a preference. If I have to play outside, I play outside. If I have to play the post, I play the post.”
Mitchell also likes Wyatt’s versatility.
“Tatiana Wyatt is so versatile, can shoot the three and put it on the floor some,” Mitchell said. “But also, can go rip down tough rebounds and play physical.”
Mitchell hopes that the newcomers integrate well with the players who were already on the UK roster.
“We sort of married two groups,” the head coach said. “A group that was here that was galvanized by the experiences of last year. We were able to recruit and attract those kind of players. It’s been a really smooth transition for people being like-minded.”
It may take a game or two for the UK fan base to learn about their newcomers. But once they do, the Big Blue Nation will like what they see from this group of six.
