The Towson women’s basketball team is eight months removed from a deflating loss to Monmouth that prevented the Tigers from playing in the NCAA Tournament, but there have been times when Patricia Anumgba’s mind returns to that game.
“I still think about it to this day,” the 5-foot-7 junior shooting guard said Thursday morning. “I definitely think it was a missed opportunity. But I also feel like we can learn a lot from having the experience of playing there. We know how to play when we get back there.”
It has been a tumultuous stretch since that 80-55 setback in what was formerly known as the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament final at TU Arena on March 12. Four days later, the team slumbered its way to a 103-63 shellacking by Harvard in the first round of the WNIT. Two months after that, coach Laura Harper had successfully coaxed four transfers to committing to the Tigers (21-12, 13-5 CAA).
But on May 19, Harper, who guided the program to a share of the regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament for the first time in school history, was placed on administrative leave for reasons that remain a mystery.
Those associated with the team are tight-lipped about Harper’s absence, which is scheduled to end Nov. 27. When asked about Harper — who did not return a request for comment — Anumgba credited the staff with preparing the players and then repeated a version of her previous comment when asked a follow-up question. Redshirt senior point guard Kylie Kornegay-Lucas said simply, “She is missed, but we just focus on the season and the game plan.”
Filling in for Harper is associate head coach Christie Rogers, who was an assistant under Harper in 2021-22 at Coppin State and a special assistant to Harper last winter. Rogers, who will coach the team in its first five games before Harper is slated to return for a home game against Morgan State on Nov. 29, acknowledged that “moving six inches over to the head coach’s seat” has been an adjustment, but credited the players with helping her keep her priorities at the forefront.
“My goal has been to keep the program going in the direction that Laura had it going in,” she said. “When she returns, it will be a very familiar and recognizable program for her.”
Rogers also praised assistant coaches Ka’lia Johnson, Ashley Morris and Zion Sanders. She pointed out that her four colleagues have experienced the joy of capturing championships at the NCAA Division I level with Harper winning the 2006 NCAA title at Maryland, Johnson the 2013 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament crown at Duke, Morris the 2008 Atlantic 10 regular-season title at Temple and Sanders the 2019 Big Ten Tournament championship at Iowa.
Without Harper, Rogers and the staff have welcomed back four starters, Kornegay-Lucas, Anumgba, junior power forward Quinzia Fulmore and senior shooting guard Alexia Nelson. They have also mixed in the four transfers and two freshmen.
Rogers said she wasn’t shocked that the four transfers continued to honor their commitments even after Harper’s suspension.
“I think it’s a testament to what we’ve built and the relationships we’ve built,” she said. “We did not have a single kid enter the [transfer] portal, and everyone that was committed to us still came. To have no one enter the portal under normal circumstances is already impressive in this climate.”
Towson’s roster earned enough respect for the team to be tabbed as the favorite to claim the CAA championship in the league’s preseason poll. Kornegay-Lucas, the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year last season, was named the preseason Player of the Year.
The preseason voting has elevated the Tigers to “hunted” status. Kornegay-Lucas said she and her teammates won’t shy away from their rivals’ attention.
“I think it just motivates us,” she said. “It pushes us to hold ourselves to a higher standard and just show what we’re about.”
The upcoming season feels like a chance to finish what the team started. Both Kornegay-Lucas and Anumgba were open about their bid to return to the CAA Tournament final.
“I feel like we have the talent. I feel like we have the coaching staff. I feel like we have everything we need,” Anumgba said. “So it would be a little bit disappointing, but I don’t think I’ll get to that disappointment this year.”
Some coaches would prefer their players keep their intentions in-house. Rogers said she has no problem with the players’ airing their intentions.
“I love that they’re talking about it,” she said. “I think you’ve got to affirm what you want to make it happen. We’ve got everything we need in our locker room. It’s just a matter of putting it all together and being the tougher team on that night.”
Coach: Jermaine Woods, second season
Last season: 8-22, 5-9 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
Postseason: MEAC Tournament quarterfinal, No. 5 seed
Preseason conference poll: Fifth out of eight teams
Starters gone (4): SG Jewel Watkins (14.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg), SG Hope Evans (7.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.7 apg), C Jalynda Salley (5.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg), SG Alexandria Hamilton (2.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg)
Starters back (1): PG Mossi Staples (13.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.6 apg)
One-liner: The Eagles brought in four transfers from a CCBC Essex program (Faith Blackstone, Tyler Gray, Tiffany Hammond and Cassandra Hawthorne) that captured its first national championship last winter.
Coach: Danielle O’Banion, third season
Last season: 10-21, 4-14 Patriot League
Postseason: Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal, No. 9 seed
Preseason conference poll: Ninth out of 10 teams
Starters gone (2): PG Taleah Dixon (13.6 ppg, 2.2 apg), SG Bri Rozzi (5.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.2 apg)
Starters back (3): PF Lex Therien (15.4 ppg, 11.1 rpg), SF Koi Sims (6.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg), SG Kelly Ratigan (5.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
One-liner: Therien and Sims fortify a Greyhounds team that ranked second in the conference last winter in rebounding margin (plus-3.6 per game).
Coach: Brenda Frese, 22nd season
Last season: 28-7, 15-3 Big Ten
Postseason: Big Ten Tournament semifinal, No. 3 seed; NCAA Tournament quarterfinal, No. 2 seed
Preseason conference poll: Fourth out of 14 teams
Starters gone (3): SG Diamond Miller (19.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.1 spg), SG Abby Myers (14.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 2.3 apg), PG Elisa Pinzan (3.3 ppg, 2.9 apg, 1.5 rpg)
Starters back (2): SG Shyanne Sellers (13.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.9 apg), PF Faith Masonius (6.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
One-liner: The addition of North Carolina State transfer Jakia Brown-Turner and the return of PF Allie Kubek from a torn left ACL will be key for adding some punch for the Terps.
Coach: Edward Davis Jr., eighth season
Last season: 17-12, 10-4 MEAC
Postseason: MEAC Tournament quarterfinal, No. 2 seed; WNIT first round
Preseason conference poll: Third out of eight teams
Starters gone (4): PF Charlene Shepherd (15.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 2.1 spg), PG Ja’Niah Henson (14.0 ppg, 2.2 apg, 2.0 rpg), SF Sunshine McCrae (6.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg), SF Taylor Addison (6.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
Starters back (1): C Jael Butler (3.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
One-liner: SG Gabrielle Johnson (5.4 ppg), Sedayjha Payne (3.3) and Emily Jones (3.0) might be poised to move from reserve to starting roles for the Bears.
Coach: Antoine White, third season
Last season: 12-19, 7-13 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Postseason: MAAC Tournament quarterfinal, No. 8 seed
Preseason conference poll: Eighth out of 11 teams
Starters gone (2): SG Michaela Harrison (11.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg), SG Natalie Villaflor (10.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
Starters back (3): PG Jessica Tomasetti (10.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.1 apg), SG Jo Raflo (8.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg), PF Isabella Hunt (5.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 3.0 apg)
One-liner: Ranking second again in the league in 3-point field goals per game (7.3) might be a difficult task for the Mountaineers without Harrison (61 3-point baskets), SG Aryna Taylor (39) and Villaflor (30).
Coach: Tim Taylor, fourth season
Last season: 1-29, 1-17 Patriot League
Postseason: Patriot League Tournament first round, No. 10 seed
Preseason conference poll: 10th out of 10 teams
Starters gone (1): PG Mimi Schrader (4.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.6 apg)
Starters back (4): SF Sydne Watts (12.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg), SG Maren Louridas (11.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.2 apg), C Kate Samson (6.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg), PF Morganne Andrews (3.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg)
One-liner: Twelve members of the 15-player roster are underclassmen, including seven sophomores who have hopefully learned from last season’s growing pains.
Coach: Johnetta Hayes, fifth season
Last season: 14-15, 10-6 America East Conference
Postseason: AEC Tournament semifinal, No. 4 seed
Preseason conference poll: Sixth out of nine teams
Starters gone (4): SG KK White (12.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg), C Kiara Bell (11.0 ppg, 8.6 rpg), SG Ashia McCalla (11.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg), SG Keelah Dixon (9.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg)
Starters back (1): PG Laycee Drake (7.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.5 apg)
One-liner: Replicating last season’s offense that led the league in scoring (63.5 ppg) might depend on how quickly six newcomers can aid the Retrievers.