Guard Sidney Rogers is part of a sophomore class looking to elevate their game after logging key minutes in their first college season. (Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor)

When the No. 18 WashU women’s basketball team tips off its season on Nov. 15, it won’t just start a new season for the Bears. It’ll start a new era with coach Lisa Stone at the helm.  

In 2023, despite being one of the youngest teams in Division III, WashU finished second in the University Athletic Association (UAA). However, the Bears were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament by the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Randi Henderson, the team’s previous coach, took an assistant coaching job at the University of Iowa over the summer. 

Stone, who most recently coached Saint Louis University for 10 years, has inherited the 11 top scorers from WashU’s 2023 team. With two preseason All-Americans — graduate-student guard Jessica Brooks and sophomore center Lexy Harris — leading a deep lineup, Stone’s program, ranked 18th in the country in the preseason d3hoops.com poll, has the potential to run the table in 2024-25. 

With the adjustment to a new coach and style of play, the WashU team will turn to their two captains, Brooks and senior forward Brenna Loftus, to find success this season. 

“Jessica Brooks is a key player, very vocal. [We] all look up and feel comfortable with her. [The] other team captain is Brenna Loftus and she … brings the energy in practice,” Harris said. 

Brooks made the decision to return to WashU for her fifth year after the Bears lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season. 

“Our last game, we lost in the first round of the tournament, and I was like, ‘Oh no, there’s no way I’m done.’ I just love this sport, love the team, and love the school way too much,” Brooks said. 

Last year, Brooks earned First Team All-UAA recognition and led the team in points and rebounds per game, averaging 16.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. Stone wants to help Brooks continue elevating her game.

“She’s the voice of the program to me, and she’s been nothing but a joy to coach,” Stone said. “But I also want to challenge her. I want to take her to the next level, and she wants that.” 

Graduate student Jessica Brooks, who Stone described as “the voice of the team,” will be a leader on and off the court for the Bears. (Sam Powers | Junior Photo Editor)

After losing only two seniors from last year’s roster, the Bears will build on the experience of the returners. Loftus started all 26 games for the team last season, and the team will look to her veteran presence on the court again this winter. Additionally, Harris averaged 16.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last season and was named the d3hoops.com National Rookie of the Year as well as the UAA Rookie of the Year. 

“Obviously, Lexy’s a returning All-American top player in the country in her position, and she understands that there are things that hopefully we can help her to get even better, and [she can] continue to go from good to great,” Stone said. 

Harris is part of a talented sophomore class. Sophomore point guard Sidney Rogers, who averaged 8.5 points and 3.1 assists per game, is looking to make a significant impact this season after suffering injuries last year. “She plays really, really hard,” Brooks said. “She battled injuries last year, so her big focus was just to stay healthy and take care of herself.” 

Rogers will likely be joined in the backcourt by Catherine Goodwin, a sophomore guard who led the Bears with 28.3 minutes played and 3.1 assists per game. Other notable returners include junior forwards Nailah McBeth and Jordan Rich, sophomore guard Alyssa Hughes, and sophomore forwards Amelia Rosin and Sydney Starks. Both Rich and Hughes appeared in all 26 games last season, and Hughes led the team in three-point percentage, shooting .368 from behind the line. 

Along with returners, the Bears have welcomed six new first-years to the team.

“I like what I see in that freshman class,” Stone said. “We’ve got ball-handlers, we’ve got scorers, [we’ve] got great shooters, and there’s a nice blend and a good mix of various classes throughout my different lineups.” 

Brooks added that the new class will bring variety to the team, making it more difficult for other coaches to scout ahead of games. “We have a lot of young players, which I think is good just because it’s a fresh look that teams don’t know them as well,” she said. 

Stone wants to improve the team’s fundamentals after a season where they turned the ball over 16.5 times per game, which tied for the worst in the UAA, and averaged 39.4 rebounds per game, which was the sixth-best mark in the eight-team conference.

“[Rebounding has] been such a problem for us already this season. It was a problem last season and years before …” Brooks said. “It’s definitely something we can fully control — it’s just an effort thing.”

Junior forward Jordan Rich appeared in all 26 games for the Bears last season. (Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor)

Stone also hopes to develop an elite defense. The Bears will likely mix things up, including potential experimentation with full-court pressure and zones, but no matter how they line up, defense will be crucial.

“It revolves around playing great defense. [Coach Stone] says that if you play good defense, good offense will come,” Harris said. “Breaking down defense, perfecting position, keeping your hands up — if [we] really nail down defense, the team will be set up for success.”

The Bears will begin non-conference play on Nov. 15 with the Hyatt Place Tournament against Edgewood College in Rock Island, Illinois. 

“I think the first game of the year against Edgewood in the Augustana tournament might be the most important, because that’s going to set the stage for the rest of the year, win or lose, whatever. It’s a new era [that] starts then,” Stone said. 

WashU will play their first home game on Friday, Nov. 22 in the McWilliams Classic, a tournament that includes Lyon College and No. 17 Transylvania University, last season’s D-III runners-up. The Bears will also host the Midwest Challenge in late November, where they will host the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, No. 10 Illinois Wesleyan University, and No. 24 DePauw University.

The non-conference season will be highlighted by a trip to Puerto Rico in late December, with two games that will be played against Dickinson College and Bridgewater State University. 

Stone said the team is ready to bring energy into the start of the season.

“They’re committed, they’re spirited. A loud gym is a winning gym. They are hungry,” she said. 

The gym will likely get louder on Jan. 11 when the Bears open their UAA season in St. Louis against the University of Chicago. The Bears are one of just two UAA teams ranked in the national Top 25, alongside No. 1 New York University (NYU). The Bears’ home matchup against NYU on Feb. 2 is circled on Brooks’ calendar.

“Honestly, I just really want to beat NYU twice. We’ll play them at home, and then we’ll play them at their place. Definitely want to beat them at home, protect our home court,” she said. 

However, the team knows every UAA opponent will be tough to beat. “To me, it’s the best league in Division III, top to bottom. And we need to be prepared and build momentum from non-conference into the UAA,” Stone said.

As the team gears up for opening tipoff, Stone says she looks up at the program’s five national championships in the Field House every day, and aspires to hang up a sixth. Stone knows that contending for championships is not going to be easy, but she is excited for the journey.

“Sometimes, I get sped up and, because I’m energetic, I want excitement in the gym. But I also want to cherish every moment, and I want our players to know that, too.”