Sky is the limit for Cougar hoops

Sophomore guard Dawnyelle Awa brings the ball up the court during a game against California in Beasley Coliseum, Thursday, Feb. 28.

Sophomore guard Dawnyelle Awa brings the ball up the court during a game against California in Beasley Coliseum, Thursday, Feb. 28.

Trevor Williams Evergreen Women's Basketball reporter

It’s not March yet, but for Cougar Basketball fans in the Pacific Northwest, it’s time to ramp up for basketball madness on the Palouse.

The WSU women’s basketball team will be the first to bring the sport back to Beasley Coliseum, and with three returning starters, an army of sophomores, high expectations and a productive offseason under their belt, the Cougars and Head Coach June Daugherty are poised to bring competition and power to the Pac-12.

After losing guard Tia Presley down the stretch and two starters last season, the Cougars believe past experiences and current development have created a team that is ready to breakthrough in league and non-conference play.

Presley, Lia Galdeira and seniors Brandi Thomas, Sage Romberg, and Hana Potter are helping provide the initial inspiration for the 2013-14 basketball team. When thinking of inspiration, Presley is the first to come to Cougar fans’ minds. She is returning to play two months ahead of schedule after suffering from a torn ACL in Pullman last January.

“Tia had the attitude that she was going to come back better than ever,” said Daugherty. “She’s come back quicker than she’s ever been and she came back two months early off an ACL, so it’s great to have her back. She’s definitely a true scoring guard and she looks great.”

As expected, WSU’s seniors have also been stepping up to help lead the Cougars into a new season.

“I think our seniors Brandi Thomas, Hanna Potter and Sage Romberg, they too have had a great offseason and they’ve gotten not only more skilled, but I think that they are a lot stronger and more fit than they’ve ever been,” said Daugherty.

Opponents also can’t sleep on WSU’s younger talent. The Cougars are bringing back a host of sophomores that look to show growth.

“Last year, almost half of our team was made up of a very talented group of freshmen,” said Daugherty. “They played very well. I think they proved to the entire country how good they are and lived up to the expectations that were set for them.”

Presley and Thomas both shared excitement on Monday, as they prepared for the Cougars home-opening exhibition.

“A month of straight practice can get repetitive and people are just excited to play someone new,” said Presley. “But the feel is good and I think people are ready. It will show (today) whether the hard work we’ve put in has paid off.”

Thomas cited the Cougars’ European summer tour as the source for her excitement.

“We started playing and practicing way ahead of everyone else. I think that has made us even more excited for this game because we came off the Europe trip with four wins.”

With the returning talents on WSU’s roster this season alongside a revamped, up-tempo offense, the Cougars have set their sights high. Coach Daugherty and the Cougars want to eliminate the inconsistency they struggled with last season.

“That inconsistency definitely cost us in a lot of ways,” said Daugherty. “But I think it was a great lesson for us and whether it was the freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors, we have to prepare every day like we’re going to be playing Stanford. We have to prepare every day for the absolute best teams we’re going to play in this league.”

The Cougars aren’t only preparing for the best. They expect to beat the best.

“If we can be consistent, I think it’s a good preseason schedule – once again we’re playing very good competition – but, if we take care of business in the preseason and stay healthy, I think that we are going to be poised for postseason here at Washington State and it’ll be great,” said Daugherty.

Daugherty said it’s overdue for the program to get back to the postseason, and she is confident they will be able to accomplish that goal. Part achieving that goal is through quality post play.

“If you asked me right now who is most improved on our team, it might be Shalie,” said Daugherty. “She’s giving us an inside presence, offensively and defensively, that we haven’t seen in a long time in Cougar women’s basketball.”

For WSU, in the end, the season-opening exhibition will hinge on confidence, something the Cougars have a lot of.

“Our confidence is at an all-time high and I think we’ve improved at every position,” she said.