Bucknell Women's Basketball Season Preview

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Any basketball team will inevitably look different from year to year as players come and go. There's no exception to that rule for the 2021-22 Bucknell women's basketball team.

Bucknell opens its 49th season of competition against Ohio State in the Schottenstein Center on Wednesday, Nov. 10, and four of the five starters from last season will not be in the building. Instead, the Bison are rolling into Columbus, Ohio with a team comprised of seven underclassmen and just two players with starts under their belts.

Trevor Woodruff, Bucknell's third-year head coach and two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year, is less concerned with what the Bison lost and more focused on what may lay ahead.

"There's no question losing what we lost, we have a little bit of a rebuild in front of us in terms of replenishing the roster and getting it to look the way it has with so much depth and talent, in particular on the interior," said Woodruff. "There are challenges around being a youthful team, but there's also excitement because there's so much potential and possibility with youth. You just have to get it going in the right direction, and you never know what could happen. I'm guessing we're one of the least experienced teams in the league. That's the reality of where we are today, but that has nothing to do with where we can be in February and March."

The Bison roster may lack experience, but Woodruff enters the 2021-22 campaign as one of the longest-tenured coaches currently in the Patriot League in just his third season. Lehigh, American and Lafayette are the only teams that have retained the same coaching staffs since Woodruff arrived at Bucknell, as six teams have head coaches entering their first or second seasons.

Woodruff has guided the Bison to two of their most successful seasons in program history. Bucknell won the Patriot League regular season title by a record four-game margin in year one, and last season's squad finished the regular season undefeated (8-0) for the first time. Unfortunately, both seasons were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and Bucknell is looking forward to a relatively normal year with non-conference play and fans back in the seats as it seeks another Patriot League Championship.

It will be another month before fans in Sojka Pavilion get their first live look at the team as Bucknell plays its first six contests on the road. The Bison make their home debut when they host Saint Francis on Wednesday, Dec. 1. Patriot League play kicks off with a home game against Boston U. on Wednesday, Dec. 29.

"We start out with a bunch of road games, which isn't ideal, but I think there's really good balance in the schedule. There are a few games in there where you look at it and say 'those are going to be very, very difficult to win,' and then there are a couple where we're probably the favorite. Then, there's a big chunk where it's 50/50, and whoever plays better that day is going to win," said Woodruff. "That's really what you want from a schedule. You want to challenge yourself where you're maybe above your weight class, and we've done that. You certainly want to have some success, so hopefully there's a game or two where you feel like you're probably the favorite. For the bulk of it, you want to test yourself against teams that are similar or slightly better and see how often you can play close to your best."

The 2021-22 senior class that will be asked to lead the youthful Bison group consists of guards Taylor O'Brien and Marly Walls. The pair has started 44 combined games throughout their careers, and both have proven they're more than capable of handling the responsibilities that will be placed on them this season.

Arguably the most athletic player in the conference, O'Brien was one of the top scorers a season ago and earned First Team All-Patriot League status as well as All-Tournament Team honors. O'Brien's 16.3 points per game ranked fourth in the league, and it was the highest scoring average a Bucknell player has maintained since 2016. The Lafayette Hill, Pa. native also led the team in steals and was second in rebounding. O'Brien reached double-digit scoring in all but one game in 2020-21, and she eclipsed 20 points on three occasions.
Marly Walls

Walls, who saw limited playing time last season as she worked her way back from injury, looks to return to full form. She started 15 games in 2019-20 and averaged 7.1 points and 3.1 assists per contest. She showed flashes of her old self in 2020-21, playing in eight games and scoring 18 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists.

"You can always expect a lot out of the two seniors. They have a lot that they have to do to get themselves ready, but also to help the young folks who need mentoring and leadership," said Woodruff. "Taylor is one of the best scorers in the conference, and certainly on the team. I think Marly is further along than she was last year. Certainly, she'll have a bigger role than she had. We're expecting both of them to have really good seasons, and we need them to if we're going to be successful."

Bucknell's junior class, made up of guard Tai Johnson and forwards Carly Krsul and Emma Shaffer, saw consistent but limited playing time over the past two seasons and will now be asked to play bigger roles entering year three.

Krsul made a big leap during her sophomore season and was a key player off the bench, averaging nearly 19 minutes. She was third on the roster in rebounding with 4.8 per game and tied for the team lead in blocks. She made a splash in the season opener last year with 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, and she was a consistent presence on the interior when called upon.

Shaffer also saw steady improvement from year one to year two, doubling her scoring average, rebounding and minutes. At 6'2", Shaffer's size makes her especially valuable this season as the team looks to replace the interior presence from a year ago.

Tai Johnson

Johnson is another speedy guard who appeared in 34 of the 40 games the team has played since her arrival. She averaged 10.2 minutes in 2020-21 and 15 minutes per game as a rookie, but she'll likely see a much-increased role this season as the team experiments with more guard play and different rotations. Johnson also came up big with several 3-pointers in key moments of games last season.

"We need that junior group to come along. The good and the bad of it is that they've been able to just fit in because we were so top heavy the last two years, so they didn't have a lot of the pressure. Winning and losing wasn't on their backs," said Woodruff. "Now, winning and losing is going to be much more based on what they're able to do. That's a change in role for all three. We'll see how it shakes out in terms of minutes and all that stuff. No question, all three have a role in the main rotation. What that looks like in terms of starts or coming off the bench remains to be seen."

With a lack of non-conference games last season and other limiting factors that came about due to the pandemic, Bucknell's sophomore class had little time to adjust to collegiate basketball. The two guards and two forwards showed promising signs during their freshman campaigns, but they're still carving out their roles on the team as the largest class on the roster.

"Normally, you have a summer with them, and you have a full non-conference schedule where you feel confident you can throw them in there and the mistakes don't necessarily impact your season because big picture, the Patriot League is the most important thing. Those non-conference mistakes don't hurt you as much, but we didn't get that with them. We got into league play and they didn't have those experiences, and they sat behind some really good players," Woodruff said.

Of the sophomore group, guards Julie Kulesza and Caroline Dingler saw the most playing time. Kulesza averaged almost 10 minutes per game and led the group with 17 points, 12 of which came from beyond the arc as she hit 4-of-7 threes on the year. Dingler played in all but one game and averaged 5.2 minutes.

Reinbeau appeared in five games and hauled in eight rebounds, and Davis made three appearances before missing most of the season with injury. At 6'4", Davis' size could be a huge asset to the Bison once she works her way back onto the court.

"We're still figuring it out with them," said Woodruff. "We're preaching the same thing – we're just looking for consistency. They all have good days, but we're trying to figure out who can have good weeks and good months. We're really pushing for consistency from the whole roster, because there's an opportunity."

More so than in any recent season, Bucknell is likely going to be relying on its rookie class to fill meaningful spots in the rotation. The Bison welcomed three versatile freshmen to the roster, each sitting at 6'0". The group should see plenty of opportunities early in the season and throughout to carve out their roles.
The most local player on the roster, Cecelia Collins, arrived at Bucknell following an outstanding high school career at Scranton Prep. Collins was a two-time All-Region and All-State selection while at Scranton Prep. She averaged 16 points, 7.5 rebounds and four assists per game with her ability to pass, shoot and handle.

Fellow freshmen Isabella King and Remi Sisselman have the tools to play multiple positions as well. King, who was named the Gatorade and USA Today New Hampshire Player of the Year last year, led Bedford High School to the New Hampshire State Championship as a senior and finished her career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,115 points in just 55 games. She also averaged 10 rebounds and four assists.

Sisselman, a native of Long Island, N.Y., was the Suffolk County and Long Island Player of the Year last season while captaining the Half Hollow Hills East girls team. As a two-time scoring leader, she guided the school to two state championship titles and averaged 28 points during her senior season.

"We're excited about the whole group, but I do think the freshmen have hit the ground running. They have the typical overwhelmed look every once and a while, but for the most part they've really absorbed info well. They're making youthful mistakes, which you expect, but they're also doing some things that look beyond their years," said Woodruff. "I really think everyone on the roster has the ability to contribute. It's just a matter of us putting together groupings and rotations that fit together and also provide us the most balance and depth."

Regardless of age or experience, it will take all 12 players on the Bucknell roster to continue the success the program has seen in recent years. With the right combination of senior leadership and youthful energy, the opportunity is there for the Bison in 2021-22.

Players Mentioned

Cecelia Collins

Caroline Dingler

Tai Johnson

Isabella King

Carly Krsul

Julie Kulesza

Taylor O'Brien

Emma Shaffer

Remi Sisselman

Marly Walls

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