The countdown to basketball’s return to the Palouse now sits at exactly one month.

 

That’s right Cougar fans.

 

On Friday, Nov. 11, catch the WSU women’s basketball team, led by 10th-year Head Coach June Daugherty, compete against the Loyola Marymount University Lions at Beasley Coliseum.

 

As a volunteer manager for the women’s basketball team, I have the opportunity and the privilege to witness firsthand just how much potential WSU shows as the season inches closer.

 

Since being hired as the head coach in 2007, Daugherty turned around the program. It is also important to note that Daugherty led her team to two consecutive National Invitational Tournament appearances in 2014 and 2015.

 

Off the court, you might recognize Daugherty as a national figure in the fight against sudden cardiac arrest, as she herself suffered and survived many years ago. As an advocate and a coach, Daugherty is award-winning.

 

Through her nationally-ranked recruiting classes and successful coaching history, which began in 1985, Daugherty has helped the Cougars grow from a disappointing 32 total combined wins in her first four seasons to an astonishing 59 total wins in the past four.

 

Although last season was a small setback with a 14-16 record, there is a lot of optimism about the upcoming campaign.

 

Two players, sophomore Borislava Hristova and junior Caila Hailey earned All-Pac-12 honors last season. Hristova was named to the All-Pac-12 team after breaking the WSU record for points scored, field goals made and points per game by a freshman. Hristova currently stands as the all-time leader with a .881 free throw percentage at WSU.

 

If that doesn’t impress you, Hristova also broke a 26-year-old school record, scoring 20 points or more in nine games last season. Not bad for her first year at WSU after coming to the United States from Bulgaria.

 

Last season’s senior class leaves a dent in the team, with four players – three of them who started games for the Cougars – having graduated.

 

However, Daugherty has hauled in perhaps the most historic recruiting class of her tenure for the upcoming season. The newcomers include five freshmen: forward Jovana Subasic from Serbia, forward Kayla Washington from California, guards Cameron Fernandez and Chanelle Molina from Hawaii and guard Johanna Muzet from France.

 

Molina arrives in Pullman as the first five-star recruit of Daugherty’s recruiting classes. Molina and Washington are both high school McDonald’s All-Americans.

 

Diversity is a common theme across the team’s roster, as players hail from all over the globe. WSU has natives of Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Portugal, Macedonia, France, Serbia, Australia and America on this year’s team.

 

Although the various nationalities and languages can be difficult at times, players view the initial communication barrier as entertaining.

 

“(The language barrier) kinda makes it fun … a lot of Europeans have immaculate English, they have more trouble understanding Krystal and I (Australian) sometimes because of our accents,” junior forward Louise Brown said in an interview with Stefanie Loh of the Seattle Times. “There have been times when I’m running down the court yelling something to a European; they have no idea what I just said.”

 

Think of this year’s team like you would a car. In order for a car to drive, it needs a lot of unique parts to work together, like an engine for power, a wheel for steering and tires for support.

 

Without every part, the car is useless.

 

The same thing goes for this year’s women’s basketball team. Every one of these players is unique and brings something distinctive to the table.

 

A car is able to drive when its parts work together, and this year’s team will win when players gel on the floor.

 

This team has it all: A coach with a history of success, a diversified squad with chemistry on and off the court and 12 televised games on the Pac-12 Network to showcase a desire to bring winning basketball back to the Palouse for good.

 

Mark your calendars, because the games are fast approaching and you are not going to want to miss them.