After exceeding all expectations last season and earning the program’s first NCAA tournament berth in 17 years, the Georgetown women’s basketball team knows that it has raised the bar for the upcoming season. The Hoyas had some memorable wins last year, including one against then-No. 4 Notre Dame, but this time around they hope their success will extend deeper into March.
“The program has changed—the whole energy, the vibe, the confidence, the swagger of it all,” senior guard Monica McNutt said. “Last year’s team worked so hard. We had high expectations of ourselves. I think this year’s team is stepping into that.”
Head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy, who is entering her seventh season with the Hoyas, pinpointed a more tangible reason for Georgetown’s leap out of mediocrity.
“Last year, we played defense,” Williams-Flournoy said, laughing.
The pressure the Hoyas placed on opponents was no joke. They limited them to an average of just 57.1 points per game and averaged nearly 13 steals, leading to the best turnover margin in the nation.
The defense will have to remain strong despite the loss of four seniors from last year’s team. Luckily, Georgetown’s two incoming freshmen will be great assets.
“[We’re] excited about both of them,” McNutt said. “They’re going to be the future.”
The two newcomers, both from Virginia, will shore up the backcourt and frontcourt. Six-foot forward Andrea White was a four-year All-State player, and guard Samisha Powell received a number of defensive accolades in high school.
“The freshmen are doing well,” Williams-Flournoy said. “[Powell] maintained her same defense and intensity…[and] so has Andrea White. Both of them fit very well.”
Right now, one of the team’s key advantages is experience. With the exception of the two freshmen, the team is filled with upperclassmen who saw first-hand the difference their dedication to defense made.
“Experience is probably one of the most important factors a team can have,” McNutt said. “This team is different. I’m a senior; I was here when we weren’t doing anything [and] I was here … when we’ve done better. I think we’ve come a long way.”
They still have a long way to go before March though. Their path begins with a home game this Saturday against Augusta State University. The Jaguars did not have as successful of a season as Georgetown last year, but the Hoyas are hardly looking past their first opponent. They’re just excited to get back on the court and prove that last season was no fluke.
“I just want to go back to the [NCAA] tournament and further in the Big East tournament, too,” McNutt said. “We have to do something big in the Big East.”
