Who's hobbled, who's improved, what's better | UW women's basketball media day

MADISON – The Wisconsin women’s basketball team will look much different in Year 2 of the Robin Pingeton era.

Eight of the 14 players on the roster are freshmen or transfers. Also, eight players are underclassmen.

The Badgers return 40.8% of the scoring, 38.4% of the rebounding and 41.8% of the assists from a team that went 16-18 last season and reached the semifinals of the WBIT.

“I would say that our focus is growth for the year,” Pingeton said during her media day interview session at the Kohl Center on Oct. 13.  “We just we want to grow in all areas and not just our basketball development, but our habits, our discipline, our relationships, our connectivity. We just want to continue to move the needle.”

Here are five takeaways from media day.

Center Dorja Zaja avoids major injury

The recovery of senior Kyrah Daniels from a torn ligament in her right foot has been well documented.

What we learned during media day is sophomore Dorja Zaja is recovering from a bad ankle sprain. According to Pingeton, Zaja rolled the ankle a couple of weeks ago.

“We're just feeling really blessed that it wasn't more serious than what it was,” Pingeton said.

Otherwise, Wisconsin is in a good space when it comes to its health.

Pingeton noted two other injuries: senior Laci Steele is recovering from hamstring and ankle issues but practiced Oct. 13.  Freshman Adaline Sheplee (hamstring) was limited to half-court work.

Getting better defensively is top priority

What can fans expect from the Badgers this season? Pingeton points to the cohesiveness she is seeing offensively. She also didn’t shy away from the need to improve defensively.

In Big Ten play, the Badgers ranked 15^th out of 18 teams in scoring defense (78.6 points per game), 14^th in rebounding margin (minus-4.1) and 13^th in field goal percentage defense (46.6).

“We feel like that's an area that we really needed to move the needle on this offseason and we've put a lot of work in that space,” she said. 

Relentless is how Pingeton described what she is looking for on that end of the floor and she noted three ways that effort can show: defensive rebounding, protecting the paint and fewer trips to the free throw line for opponents.

Twin towers for the Badgers?

Wisconsin set a program record with 285 3-pointers last season. That will continue to be a part of how the team attacks, but Pingeton won’t be afraid to play her posts, the 6-foot-3 Zaja and 6-3 fifth-year senior Kadidia Toure, together at times.

Both players have the skillset that could make such a lineup work.

“Both of them are very good passers for their size,” Pingeton said. “A lot of times you don't see that out of your big players, their ability to see the court when the double-teams come and their ability to impact the rim.

“I think potentially there's going to be opportunities to see them on the court at the same time. But I also think the minutes that we're going to get from them at that five position is going to be critical.”

Alicia Courthiau making challenging transition

The UW players spent the summer on campus, training and taking classes. Freshman Alicia Courthiau, a 5-10 guard, was the exception.

She missed a large portion of the summer with the team and started the fall semester late due to her commitment to the Belgian national team.

However, the skills that allowed her to play in the EuroCup women’s professional league are also showing even as she learns UW’s system and adjusts to college life.

Pingeton said Courthiau’s game is "special."

“When you just put the ball out there and you just let her play, she is lightning quick with the ball in her hands [and] has the ability to play downhill,” Pingeton said.

“I think she'll defensively be very disruptive for us, has the ability to really guard the ball and create some havoc with her ball pressure and also has that one-on-one accountability to, you know, where players aren’t going to have to give her a lot of help.”

Shay Bollin continues to develop

It might sound odd to talk about development for a fifth-year senior, but that’s the case with Shay Bollin.

The 6-3 guard has suffered multiple injuries over the years that affected her productivity.  Last year she played in a career-high 34 games and made it through the season healthy.

That carried over into the offseason when, according to Pingeton, Bollin has improved.

“I think she's really worked hard in the offseason,” the coach said. “I think a lot of people won't recognize Shay when they watch her play this year. She's playing with a lot of confidence. Her body's finally feeling pretty healthy.”