Lady Topper Basketball: 2024-25 Roster Tracker
Make sure to bookmark this article to keep track of the Lady Tops and any future changes. We will update this as news comes in.
We have a roster tracker for the men’s basketball team and we have one for football. Why don’t we make one for the Lady Tops?
In Greg Collins’ sixth year, Western Kentucky Women’s Basketball started out hot, owning a 9-6 record against a fairly tough non-conference schedule. Starting 3-0 in Conference USA had the Lady Tops obviously in first place, at 12-6 overall, and feeling like a real contender for a Conference USA title.
Unfortunately, from that point, WKU finished the season on a massive 3-11 slide. Therefore, it may leave to some bitter feelings, some frustration, some blame. There were some injuries, mainly involving leading scorer Acacia Hayes, who missed a month and a half of conference play, coming back sparingly a couple of games before the Conference USA Tournament began. Perhaps that explains why the entire roster has not imploded.
All told, WKU has not seen a ton of people take off. Several have, but most of the young core of the team seems to be hanging in.
Potential Returning Scholarships (5)
C Caitlin Staley 6'3" Evans, GA So.
C Jailyn Brill 6'3" Lincoln, NE So.
F Josie Gilvin 6'0" Louisville, KY Jr.
G Mackenzie Chatfield 5'8" Aukland New Zealand So.
G Acacia Hayes 5'8" Murfreesboro, TN Jr.
Signees (6)
F Caleigh-Rose West 6'1" Orlando, FL R-Jr. From Iowa Western CC-Signed
F Torri James 6'0" Clarksville, TN Fr.-Signed
F Mariama Sow 6'3" Theis, Senegal Sr. From UTEP-Signed
F Tatum Boettjer 6'2" Derby, KS Jr. From Barton CC-Signed
F Salma Khedr 6'0" Giza, Egypt Fr.-Signed
F Zsofia Telegdy 6’3” Budapest, Hungary, Jr. transfer from Kansas-Signed
F Mya Pratcher 6’3” Memphis, TN, Jr. transfer from Jackson State-Signed
Entered the transfer portal (4)
F Aaliyah Pitts-A significant role player, Pitts leaving would take some experience, size, and shooting from the Lady Topper roster
G Alexis Mead-Frankly a devastating blow if she actually leaves, the 5’5” California native has been a core member of the team since coming to The Hill.
Committed Elsewhere
F Karris Allen-Committed to SIU in mid-April, still young, long, and athletic, Karris Allen leaving would means an athletic, solid bodied wing/power forward prospect for the future leaves the roster.
G Naveah Foster-Committed to IUPUI, Veah was a young freshman that didn’t see the court much in her first year at WKU. A really good shooter that needed to work on defense, ball skills, and decision making, if she was to stick around, she would probably have earned some playing time this coming season. However, young players can easily get frustrated and take off when they get little to no playing time.
Departing Seniors (3)
Odeth Betancourt-Out of eligibility, Odeth represents a big body that could defend and could provide some points off of the bench or as a starter. She was able to match up with certain big bodies and hold her own.
Teresa Faustino-Having gone through Senior Night, Faustino represents a solid, Power Five transfer starter that could do a little bit of everything. She was a huge member of this season’s team.
Destiny Salary-having gone through Senior Night, Destiny represented a massive midyear boost and was arguably WKU’s best player at times, competing with Acacia as the 1a/1b option for the Lady Tops. She was certainly able to penetrate the lane. With Teresa, Destiny, and Alexis and even Karris to some degree, WKU will need to find some players that can create their own shots.
With Greg Collins moving into his seventh offseason on The Hill as the Lady Topper head coach (spent six year as assistant before being named HC), there’s no telling exactly what WKU’s chances will be. A great deal of it will fall on whether WKU can keep some of the players that may be able to extend eligibility or just decide not to transfer out. If everyone slated to leave actually leaves, the Lady Tops will need a miraculously lucky recruiting offseason to immediately compete with the likes of Liberty and MTSU in Conference USA. If they could keep their core and add some size, they could be right there knocking on the door of a 21st NCAA Tournament appearance.
UPDATE: WKU is clearly going after serious size this offseason, having signed more than a handful of players, all of which are forwards over 6’ tall. If these forwards all see themselves into the season, this will be the biggest Lady Topper team since all-time leading scorer Crystal Kelly’s teams played on The Hill.
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