The women’s basketball squad suffered a heartbreaking conclusion to their otherwise stellar 2019-20 season, as the Skyhawks lost to the Southeast Missouri Redhawks in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Championship and were unable to compete in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) due to COVID-19.
Prior to all of that, the Skyhawks claimed the 2019-20 regular season OVC title and rode their No. 1 seed all the way to the bitter end. The Skyhawks were led from start to finish by the conference’s best duo in forwards Chelsey Perry and Maddie Waldrop. With both halves of the duo entering their senior seasons, this will likely be the team’s last shot to win a title with this current group.
Perry comes into the 2020-21 season as the reigning OVC Player of the Year after averaging 23.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in 2019-20. In addition, Perry ranked first in the OVC in total field goals made (286) and second in points (740). Perry was a point-scoring machine for the orange and blue, and looks to continue that same dominance this season.
Fellow All-OVC first-team teammate Waldrop also returns to the lineup after her own stellar 2019-20 season and once again finds her way onto the All-OVC preseason roster for this year. Waldrop didn’t provide the same scoring touch as Perry, as Waldrop only averaged 12.7 points per game, but was great at distributing the ball and playing solid defense when needed. Last season, Waldrop averaged 2.7 assists and 6.8 rebounds per game, in addition to 22 blocks and 37 steals overall.
Along with Perry and Waldrop, the only other remaining player from the OVC Championship starting lineup is sophomore forward Dasia Young, who averaged 6.2 points and 3 rebounds per game last year. Young will likely remain a constant in the starting lineup this year due to her complementary scoring touch and her experience from last season as a true freshman.
Also returning to the lineup is senior forward and veteran presence Demi Burdick, who is also entering her fourth season in blue and orange. Junior guards Sade’ Hudson and Emma Davis, as well as sophomore guard Macy Rippy and sophomore forward Raegan Johnson will also return to the roster and provide the team with valuable depth.
Head coach Kevin McMillan, now entering his 12th year, boasts an elite roster going into this season, as evidenced by the preseason media poll ranking UTM above all others in the conference.
It’s no secret that the Skyhawks will be contending for not just a regular season title, but also an OVC Championship and a berth in the WNIT. If there is any year to accomplish all of this, now is the time. In all likelihood, the Skyhawks’ roster will look a lot different in 2021-22, and won’t feature two of the best players to ever don the Skyhawk jersey.
Despite the loss of championship-starting players such as Tamiah Stanford and Brittni Moore, the Skyhawks will be lead by the OVC’s best duo in Perry and Waldrop. Complemented by a more seasoned bench, the Skyhawks are in prime position to dominate the OVC in 2020-21; anything less would be a major disappointment.
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