It's no secret that the 2022-23 season didn't go as well as coach Bob Boldon and the Bobcats wanted last year, finishing 6-23 on the season and 4-14 in the MAC. The season's disappointment was only compacted when Yaya Felder, the leading scorer in the entire conference and two-time All-MAC selectee, transferred to Baylor.
However, with several new transfers looking to blossom in new roles and a handful of freshmen with a runway to success out of the gates, the re-tooled Bobcats carry a new energy and an air of excitement with them into the 2023-24 season.
2022-23 Recap:
The previous season for the Bobcats was the year of Yaya Felder, the diamond in the rough of an overall disappointing season. Felder averaged an astonishing 22 points per game with 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Felder eclipsed 30 points five times during the season.
Outside of Felder, no other Bobcats could get into the double-digit points per game. The team's second-leading scorer was recent graduate Caitlyn Kroll, who averaged 8.7 points per game.
The last season was one that this year's team will look to build on and ultimately bury altogether. After a disappointing season in 2022-23, finishing last in the conference, 2023-24 leaves only room to improve for Ohio.
Losses and Returns:
As previously mentioned, the Bobcats will enter the season without their two leading scorers from last year's campaign and arguably the most productive player in the MAC last year, Yaya Felder.
Alongside Felder, the Bobcats will be without Kroll, as well as the vast majority of their depth from this past season.
Among the top-eight minute-getters for Ohio last year, the only two returning players are junior and sophomore guards Kate Dennis and Jaya McClure, with a handful of other returners coming back to the team, including Kaliah Johnson, Aja Austin and Cassidy Lafler, as well as Peyton Guice and Madi Mace who didn't play all of last year for the Bobcats.
The rest of the Bobcats' roster is filled with transfers and freshmen, most of whom will take on larger roles than they're accustomed to; it's an opportunity to prove themselves in their first college season.
Seniors:
The Bobcats enter the season with three seniors, one of those being Kaliah Johnson, who played a shade over 10 minutes a game for the team last season. Johnson had her best game in last season's opener against Long Island, scoring 12 points on three-of-five shooting.
Peyton Guice is the other returning senior on the team, who will be entering her fourth season as a member of the Bobcats. Guice didn't play in 2022-23 and was limited in 2021-22, playing just two games in the regular season against Miami (OH) and Kent State and then in the team's single games in the MAC tournament and the WNIT. Guice is projected to come back mid-season for the Bobcats.
Among the seniors, the new face is Bengisu Alper, in her fifth college basketball season. Alper started her collegiate career with Maine in 2018-19 before transferring to Colorado State in 2020-21 and then to Northwestern State in 2022-23 before transferring to Ohio, where she will play a much bigger role than she has with her previous schools. Alper also has had success in the past with her home country, Turkey. Alper started in the team's exhibition game against Marietta and should keep that spot as the Bobcats' most experienced player.
Juniors:
Ohio boasts four juniors entering the new season. Among them is Kate Dennis, who was previously mentioned. Dennis returns as Ohio's leader in minutes from the previous season, blossoming as a starter and averaging 4.2 points for the team.
Aja Austin and Madi Mace are the other returning juniors for Ohio. Austin didn't play a huge role for the Bobcats last season, averaging just 9.5 minutes per game and compiling 0.8 points per game in that time. Mace, on the other hand, didn't play for the Bobcats in 2022-23. However, in the year prior, she was a starter in the vast majority of games, averaging over 30 minutes per game and 8.4 points per game. As she returns to the team, Mace will look to return to her productive ways, providing a key role for the Bobcats off the bench and as a starter if needed.
The final junior on the squad is a large part of the Bobcats' transfer class, Kennedy Watkins. Watkins spent her two years prior to Ohio at Southeast Missouri State, starting a majority of her games with the team, averaging nine points per game in her sophomore campaign to go along with 4.8 rebounds.
Underclassmen:
The sophomore class for Ohio is smaller than previous years but no less impactful than any other group on the team.
The group includes Jaya McClure and Cassidy Lafler, the former of the two, McClure, starting five games for the Bobcats as a freshman in an impressive showing, averaging eight points and 2.7 assists as a key member of the team's rotation.
Lafler, on the other hand, was more limited in her freshman year, averaging just nine minutes a game, averaging 2.2 points per game in those minutes. In the team's scrimmage against Marietta on Nov. 1, however, Lafler was slotted in as a starter and should be looking at a much bigger role in her second season.
The freshman class for Ohio, on the other hand, is the largest group on the roster, boasting five players in their first year of collegiate basketball. This group is filled with talented players, a few of whom may end up being consistent rotational pieces for the Bobcats this season.
One of those is Monica Williams, who will be competing as the starting point guard for the team this year. Williams was extremely accomplished at the high school level, as a captain for her school, Lawrence North, in three years, helping the team to two-straight state championship game appearances in 2019 and 2020.
Another one of the presumed impact freshmen for the Bobcats is Laylay Fantroy, a nearly positionless player who will be playing a key role in improving the Bobcats' defense from the prior year. During her tenure at Palestine High School in Texas, she was extremely decorated, playing volleyball and basketball and boasting many awards during her time with the team.
Bailey Tabeling is another freshman looking to play a sizable role off the Bobcats bench this season. A reliable offensive player who played three varsity sports all throughout high school: basketball, volleyball and softball.
Asaiah Baxter and Emma Barnett round out the Bobcats freshman class and roster. Baxter was recognized as a junior All-Star in Indiana and was captain of her varsity basketball team. Barnett is decorated in both basketball and volleyball at her high school, having played both for four years prior to joining the Bobcats. The two didn't get much playing time in the Bobcats' exhibition game on Nov. 1, but will have plenty of opportunity to work on their games throughout the season.
Toughest Opponents:
The first test for Ohio will come early, with its first and only matchup against a team ranked in the preseason AP poll, No. 7 Ohio State. The Buckeyes are incredibly talented and experienced, returning five of their six leading scorers, all of whom averaged double-digit points. The Buckeyes also have Jacy Sheldon, who was one of the Big Ten's best players in 2021-22 and was top 10 in ESPN's 2024 WNBA mock draft.
They're also going to be matching up against Syracuse, who went 20-13 despite playing in a talented ACC. In conference, they'll be playing the usual top teams. Toledo was voted the top team in the MAC, almost unanimously, receiving eleven out of 12 first-place votes in the preseason coaches poll. The other vote went to Ball State, followed by Kent State, Bowling Green and Northern Illinois, rounding out the preseason top five.
Keys to a Successful Season:
What a successful season for this Bobcats team is truly in the eye of the beholder, given their performance last season. They were ranked ninth out of 12 teams in the MAC preseason coaches poll, an improved but still conservative prediction over their dead-last finish in 2022-23.
However, any semblance of improvement or promise from the team this season would satisfy most fans. Overall, the roster is almost entirely different from the previous season, so expectations for this Ohio team are hard to gauge.
Season Prediction:
Just two years ago, the expectation for this team was to contend for a spot in the NCAA tournament as winners of the MAC tournament. However, after falling short of the tournament entirely last season, simply qualifying for it as a low seed would be a great achievement for the team.
The loss of Yaya Felder hurts, and the team will have to come up with a way to supplement her offensive production, but through a more balanced offensive attack, doing so won't be impossible. It's easy to see the Bobcats starting slow as the new pieces adjust to their new roles and teammates. As the team builds chemistry, however, they should contend for a spot in the MAC tournament, and forcing an upset or two would be an optimistic prediction but not an impossible one.
