2018-19 #HLWBB Preview: Northern Kentucky
Northern Kentucky Norse
Last season: 9-22 overall, 6-12 Horizon League
Head coach: Camryn Whitaker (3rd year)
By Joey Yashinsky, Horizon League Contributor. Follow on Twitter @OneSeatOver
Last season, through 10 games, Camryn Whitaker’s Northern Kentucky Norse had picked up just a single win. It was not an ideal way to start the season, albeit one with a host of freshman and underclassmen playing the great majority of the minutes.
Worse yet, a date with the Green Bay Phoenix, champions of the Horizon League for the last two decades, was fast approaching. But somehow, some way, Whitaker rallied her young troops on that late December afternoon and Northern Kentucky clawed its way to a victory that sent shock waves throughout the Horizon League.
“That was the most significant win that we’ve had since becoming Division I,” Whitaker said. “Green Bay is such a powerhouse and they are so good every year. For our young team, it just gave them so much confidence to know they could compete with the best team in our league.”
The Norse bring back almost all of their top producers from a season ago, including do-it-all redshirt junior Molly Glick, a Preseason All-Horizon League first-team selection. After a back injury put Glick on the shelf for a full season, she came back with a vengeance in 2017-18, appearing in all 31 games and looking every bit the part of the future Horizon League star.
“The thing I can say about Molly is just that her leadership is so valuable,” Whitaker said. “We spent two years instilling the culture we wanted here and how we were going to do things. Her and Taryn (Taugher) have a really good understanding of what our coaching staff is looking for. The leadership and experience they have been able to give, it has made a huge difference for us.”
Taugher is Northern Kentucky’s lone senior. The 5-foot-8 guard seems to always be around the ball and is willing to go toe-to-toe with anyone on the floor, regardless of any disparity in size or strength.
“I love her toughness,” Whitaker said. “Taryn’s got a mentality that is just pure determination. She is a really good defender, which is important to me. She’s willing to do anything to win. It isn’t just scoring that’s on her brain. She will take charges, get in there and battle for offensive rebounds, dive for loose balls. She brings so much value to our team.”
The brightest surprise for the Norse might have been Kailey Coffey, a walk-on forward that went on to be named to the Horizon League’s All-Freshman team. In the first round of the conference tournament, on a big stage playing at an NBA arena, Coffey ignored the bright lights and posted a dominant 20-point, nine-rebound, four-block performance against Detroit Mercy.
“Kailey’s ability at 5’10” to do what she does in the post is just unbelievable,” Whitaker said. “She exceeded all of our expectations last year and is now one of those kids that just continues to improve. She works so hard at it. I’m excited for her because now with a year under her belt, she is so smart that she’ll be able to use everything she learned going into her sophomore season.”
Further support in the paint will be provided by 6-foot-3 sophomore Grayson Rose, an excellent rebounder that finished third on the team in that category despite playing just 13 minutes per game.
“Grayson came on really strong at the end of the season,” Whitaker said. “I felt more confident with her. She played so well in the conference tournament, especially. She’s just got a knack for finding the ball and she can shoot the 3, too. I expect her to be a lot more comfortable and a lot more confident this year.”
Increased roles could also be seen for sophomores Samari Mowbray, Jazmyne Geist, and Grace White, a player Whitaker describes as “probably the most improved on our team.”
All things considered, this is still a very green Northern Kentucky squad. Aside from Glick and Taugher, all of the other returning Norse players will be underclassmen. Yet this doesn’t simply feel like a young team trying to take its first steps.
It feels like a team exploding with possibility and potential. A team that will be right there in a whole bunch of games during the Horizon League season.
And a team that could very well be in that final group of four playing for all the marbles at Little Caesars Arena next March.