One of Villanova’s women’s basketball team’s greatest strengths in the 2023–24 season was its chemistry.
“We’ve had so much growth and we didn’t get sick of each other,” junior guard Lucy Olsen said after the team’s loss in the WBIT Championship against Illinois. “We’re really such a special group and we all love each other so much. We really did enjoy and embrace every moment that we had together.”
But with eight players leaving the roster for next season, head coach Denise Dillon will have to rebuild the established Villanova program.
In the 2023–24 season, Villanova’s offense was fueled by its exceptional junior class. Juniors formed the core of the team. Olsen, guard Zanai Jones and forward Christina Dalce were regularly leading in points, assists and rebounds.
All three chose to enter the transfer portal, which opened on March 17, and will be playing elsewhere for their final seasons of NCAA eligibility. Olsen announced on April 18 that she will look to fill Caitlin Clark’s void at Iowa, while Jones and Dalce have not yet committed.
Other current transfers include sophomore forward Megan Olbrys, freshman guard Abby Jegede and senior center Kylie Swider. Swider committed to Stonehill College. The Wildcats will also lose two graduating senior guards, Bella Runyan and Maddie Burke.
There is no denying that the portal has pulled in a good deal of Villanova’s key talent.
The wave of players transferring comes with a recent NCAA rule change, allowing student-athletes who meet certain academic eligibility requirements to be immediately eligible to play at their transfer school.
While Villanova has been hit harder than most, the portal is causing rifts in nearly every team’s roster. There are more than 1,100 transfers as of April of 2024, accounting for more than 20 percent of NCAA Division I women’s players.
At least two players at each Big East school except DePaul have entered the portal. Marquette, Xavier and Creighton are also losing top scorers: senior forward Liza Karlen, senior guard Mackayla Scarlett and senior forward Emma Ronsiek, respectively.
It is uncertain what the 2024–25 season for the Villanova team will look like.
The only regular starters currently returning for the Wildcats are freshman guard Maddie Webber and junior guard Kaitlyn Orihel.
Webber earned a key spot on the team in just her first season with the ‘Cats. She averaged 7.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game while starting in 11 games.
Although she only started eight games in 2023–24, Orihel was an impactful player for the Wildcats, especially in the latter part of the season. Orihel recorded her season-high 15 points against UConn on February 28. She finished the season averaging six points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
For the rising sophomore class, guard Brynn McCurry is full of potential. McCurry thrived in the postseason, contributing to critical plays and impressing Dillon.
“[McCurry’s] understanding of the game is great and [so is] her movement on the court,” Dillon said after the WBIT Semifinal win over St. Joseph’s on March 28. “She handled the pressure down on the stretch and didn’t look like a freshman out there.”
Three incoming freshmen signed with the Wildcats: guards Jasmine Bascoe and Dani Ceseretti and forward Rachel Wirts.
“They are a talented group that will help move our program forward,” Dillon said in November. “All three possess the talent, mindset and skill level to be high level performers. Our program got better today by adding these three to our future roster.”
The Wildcats have yet to pick up players through the portal. Entry to the portal will close on May 1.
As the program works to develop its underclassmen and recruit promising new transfer players, one thing is certain for Villanova basketball. The only way from here is up.
