Last season, Vandal women’s basketball experienced an emotional ride of success on the backs of two of the best to play the game — Mikayla Ferenz and Taylor Pierce.
A year later, Idaho looks to open a new chapter for the program.
Idaho Head Coach Jon Newlee said he is still adjusting to life without having them in the gym.
“It was weird for me to start the first practice and not have (Ferenz) or (Pierce) there,” Newlee said. “There weren’t a lot of shots going in on the first day, and I was like, ‘Where’s Mikayla and Taylor?’”
Ferenz and Pierce both broke numerous records during their time at Idaho, but now it’s time for a new path for the young players to claim a Big Sky championship on their own.
“It’s time for other people to step up and it’s their time,” Newlee said. “I expect them to really understand that and get after it.”
Senior guard Lizzy Klinker aims to take on a new leadership role this season after finishing last year as the fourth-highest scorer on the team.
“Last year at the end of the season, coach told me that I’d have to step up this season,” Klinker said. “I’ve already started focusing on that every shot matters. You have to mentally prepare yourself for the game time situations.”
Going into her final season, Klinker said she hopes to enjoy the little things before it is all over.
Lizzy Klinker drives the ball past an EWU defender Jan. 3, 2019 in Cowan Spectrum. Leslie Kiebert | Argonaut
“My main goal for myself this year is to embrace every moment,” Klinker said. “Time really flies by and this is my fifth year playing college basketball. Its crazy to think about all the amazing moments that I have kind of forgot. I just need to make sure every moment counts because there isn’t a moment to be wasted.”
Trying to fill the void the Splash Sisters left behind will be the storyline going into this season. But Newlee said while they might be irreplaceable, the talent is still there to compete.
“You just have to go out there and do it as a team,” Newlee said. “We have players that have played minutes and have had good experience. The freshmen are going to have to step up like (Ferenz) and (Pierce) did as freshmen themselves and really contribute to our program.”
A wealth of experience returns to this year’s squad, making the Vandals capable of another deep run in the Big Sky tournament.
“I think last year the tournament experience of the freshmen, sophomore, and junior classes was huge,” Klinker said. “I’m really confident our team won’t have those shock moments that we had at times last year with our younger players.”
Newlee said understanding the grind of the regular season will help benefit the young team this year.
“They have to understand the hard work it took to win the Big Sky regular season title last year,” Newlee said. “That’s a hard grind with a lot of games and a lot of great teams in our league. I think our returners have come back and really more focused than ever.”
The transition to become a leader can be difficult for any player. But Klinker said learning from Pierce and Ferenz has helped her learn what she needs to do .
“Sometimes you might not always be loved by the team,” Klinker said. “They were always there to encourage us and push us hard and that is something that I have been trying to do this year.”
The ultimate goal this season will be to make a return the NCAA tournament in March.
While it hasn’t been too long since the last time this team made the dance, Newlee said this team is capable of making a run towards the end of the season.
“We’re just going to have to stay focused,” Newlee said. “We just want to put ourselves in that position year after year to play for a title and hope things go our way.”
Chris Deremer can be reached at [email protected]