Opportunities is the name of the game for incoming women’s players. Of the Hoyas’ top 8 in minutes a season ago, only graduate center Anita Kelava remains. Of the top 8 scorers, only Kelava and junior forward Shanniah Wright will take the court in Blue & Gray again. So, expect to hear the following names early and often as Head Coach James Howard hopes to make up for the mass exodus after last season. Let’s take a look.
Taylor Baur (6’2 F from St. Louis, Mo.)
Baur immediately becomes the most experienced Hoya and should see regular minutes from day one. Baur joins Georgetown as a graduate transfer after four years at Princeton where she started 27 games as a senior. During her senior year, Baur was fourth on the team with 6.9 points per game and third with 6.1 rebounds per game and, along with future WNBA first round pick Bella Alarie, would have led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament before COVID-19 ended the season early. Baur was elected team captain her senior year at Princeton, and will likely become one of Coach Howard’s most trusted voices in the locker room. It will likely fall on Baur to guard the bigger bodied wings on UConn, DePaul, and Marquette.
Jillian Archer (6’2 F from Santa Monica, Ca.)
Archer was already on the Hilltop last season, but was forced to sit out after transferring from USC. As a freshman with the Trojans, Archer averaged 2.8 ppg and 3.1 rpg in 18 games. While the numbers seem scanty, Archer’s experience against topline talent sets her apart from the rest of this list. This came after an elite career in high school, when she earned All-CIF First Team honors her senior season in a women’s hoops hotbed. Archer knows Coach Howard’s system more than her fellow newcomers and will be expected to play right away.
Taylia Stimpson (5’10 G from Paul, Idaho)
Stimpson joins the Hoyas after a JUCO year at College of Southern Idaho. Stimpson averaged 11.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 2.2 steals per game for CSI, after entering the starting lineup in the second half of the season. That point total was good for fifth in the conference and the steal total was second. Stimpson led the league in free throw percentage, knocking down 85 percent of her shots at the line. Stimpson’s all round game should make her a factor in the early going for Georgetown.
Kelsey Ransom (5’10 G from South River, N.J.)
Ransom was given a 3-star rating from ESPN after being an all-state player for two years in New Jersey. Ransom still has a little bit of growing to do into her 5’10 frame but projects to be a big guard who can be physical on the boards and get out in transition. She also has been noted for her defensive abilities, after two Defensive Player of the Year performances in the Rose Classic.
Teaghan Flaherty (5’10 G from Rye, N.Y.)
Flaherty is a freshman preferred walk-on who has drawn rave reviews for her shooting prowess. Flaherty scored 1000 points in her high school career and was a McDonald’s All-American Nominee and New York Gatorade Player of the Year Nominee in 2019-20, after being named to the ESPN Top 100 Players to Watch list for the class of 2020. After an injury her freshman year, Flaherty was named All-State as a sophomore, junior and senior as an off-ball guard. Flaherty was lauded as a teammate and leader and may compete for bench minutes right away, especially on a team that has struggled from deep in recent years.
Jazmyn Harmon (5’8 G from Brentwood, Tn.)
Harmon will be competing with her fellow freshman guards for playing time this season. Harmon averaged 18 points per game as a senior and can produce as the primary ball handler and off the ball. A two-year captain in high school, Harmon may be leaned on as a young voice in the locker room.
Yasmin Ott (5’7 G from Little Rock, Ak.)
Ott’s calling card is her speed. Ott has competed in the US Trials as a sprinter and puts it to use on the court in transition, where she frequently attacks the basket. Ott is more of a mid-range scorer, but should be able to grow on the perimeter. ProspectsNation ranked Ott as 143 in the country and gave her a 4-star rating. She will compete for playing time on day one, if she can defend bigger guards.
Sha’nia Davis (5’4 G from Newark, De.)
Davis has been praised by Coach Howard for her winning mentality, after leading her team to a 24-2 record her senior year of high school and was ranked in the top 10 in New Jersey. Davis averaged 19 points per game and hit four 3-pointers in a game on three separate occasions. Davis has been praised for her feel for the game, but her height, listed as 5’4, will be an issue in the Big East.
