Head Coach Rick Insell with Ty Petty

The Lady Raiders will tip off their 2016–17 regular season on Nov. 11, and it is a season filled with heavy-hitters in the non-conference schedule.

“Our non-conference schedule is probably as tough as any we’ve had since I’ve been here at Middle Tennessee,” declared coach Rick Insell, and he does not exaggerate.

They will start the regular season on the road against Virginia, and the Lady Raiders will also go on the road to face Tennessee Tech, No. 19-ranked Kentucky and Missouri State. The home schedule doesn’t get much easier, as they will host No. 8-ranked Louisville, No. 16-ranked Arizona State and Georgia Tech, just to name a few.

Coach Insell spoke about the impact a non-conference schedule like this one could have on the program.

“We can go one of two directions. We can have some success and we can be ranked in the top 15 in the country, and that’s big,” he said. “Or it can kill a program off, if you’re not careful. It can beat your players down—you might lose a game or two that you thought you’d win—so you’re walking a fine line.”

This will be one of the youngest teams Insell has coached, as Ty Petty, whom Insell referred to as the best point guard he’s had in more than 40 years, represents the lone senior on the roster. Therefore, he will have to rely heavily on youth, and none will be relied on more so than C-USA Freshman of the Year Alex Johnson.

Alex Johnson

“You look at her coming out of the weight room and she does not look like a freshman like she did last year. We are expecting great things out of Alex this year,” stated Insell.

Another player expected to be a major contributor this season is junior guard Abbey Sissom. It is a very different situation compared to where Sissom was at the beginning of last season.

“Coming into last year I didn’t really know what my role would be. Through some adversity I ended up playing a much bigger role than I expected, and now losing Brea [Edwards] I’m having to step up even more. It’s definitely a lot different, but it motivates me to step up and be there for my team,” said Sissom.

Sissom became the best perimeter defender on the team when she filled the starting role left vacant by the departure of Olivia Jones in January, and she will now be looked to contribute more offensively and on the glass.
Petty, Johnson and Sissom will unquestionably be in the starting lineup; who will fill the other two spots remains to be decided.

Coach Insell mentioned a number of candidates to fill those spots. Juniors Gabby Lyon and Rebecca Reuter each saw time in the starting lineup at the post last season, starting 21 and 10 games respectively. However, with Johnson in the post, only one spot is available.

Abbey Sissom

Insell did mention the possibility of both players making the starting five, with Reuter playing the perimeter along with Sissom. Reuter has shown the ability to hit the outside shot, and having a player listed at six feet three inches on the perimeter would create a lot of mismatches. However, Reuter appeared dominant on the glass at times last season, which is why Insell said he would prefer another player step up to fill the spot vacated by Edwards’ graduation.

But who will step up?

Sophomores Jordan Majors and Jess Louro saw very limited action last year, but Insell mentioned both of them as potential candidates to fill the other perimeter spot. While he raved about Majors’ basketball IQ and general development, he also complimented Louro’s shooting ability and quick release.

Insell also commented that, while there are no Alex Johnson types in this freshman class, freshman Charity Savage could also find her way into the starting five. He referred to her as the most athletic player on the roster with a chance to win C-USA Freshman of the Year if given the chance to start.

The Lady Raiders fell just one vote short of being the preseason favorite to win the conference. However, with tremendous depth, and two starters named to the preseason all-conference team, this team has all the makings to knock WKU off that top spot and make a little noise in March.