Western Kentucky junior forward Zsofia Telegdy (23) shoots the ball between Sam Houston junior forward Nyla “Pop” Inmon (15) and junior guard Whitney Dunn (24) in the Lady Toppers’ 82-49 win against the Bearkats at E. A. Diddle Arena on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS

The work has already begun in preparation for the upcoming season for the WKU women’s basketball team.

While it’s still three months before official practices begin and a little longer for the games to start, WKU has already been hard at work with summer workouts putting together a team looking to build off last year’s 23-9 record.

It was a season in which WKU fell short of the Conference USA title game, falling to Middle Tennessee in the semifinals.

“Obviously we were wanting to continue to get a shot to play and a shot at the NCAA Tournament and a conference championship,” WKU coach Greg Collins said. “Those were the goals, but I was pleased with the chemistry. Pleased with different players stepping up at different times and some of the individual players’ improvements and growth that happened over the season. That was positive. Now you have to reload and reboot.”

When the season ended, WKU had three starters and four of the top six players from last season expected to return. That changed when two starters — Josie Gilvin and Acacia Hayes — and key reserve Mackenzie Chatfield all left through the portal.

Collins said that is the nature of the game now with the spring portal leading to lots of player movement.

“That’s just the way basketball and sports are going to be right now,” Collins said. “We just have to make sure we reload with the right type of players, the right character, the right mindset. We’ve added some good size. What we don’t have is the experience we had coming back last year. I think that is probably like more rosters in the country than not.”

Senior forward Zsofia Telegdy is the lone returning starter, but there are players that saw action last season. Mya Pratcher appeared in 30 games. Salma Khedr appeared in 26 games and Caleigh-Rose West appeared in 22 games.

Collins said just having a season in the system is important.

“The experience they have is the experience being here,” Collins said. “Experience being in our system. Experience being on campus. Experience being part of this. We’ve added players that don’t have experience here yet, but they experience playing. I think that is a good combination.”

Collins the additions are young players who are hungry and will work hard.

“Somehow you’ve got to figure out a way to maintain continuity,” Collins said. “You’ve got to have continuity. It may not be the same way each year, but we are looking for Zsofia Telegdy and Salma Khedr and Caleigh-Rose and Torri James and Mya Pratcher — we are looking for those kids to take that next step. I have reason to believe they will.”

The Lady Toppers will also bring back a healthy Tatum Boettjer. The junior forward missed last season with an elbow injury, but Collins said her just being around the program was valuable. He added she’s been in practice working hard and doing extra work on her own and is excited about what she will bring this season.

“I know she is hungry to get out there and prove herself,” Collins said. “I think she adds something that this team needs. She has a good IQ and an understanding of the game. It’s just a matter of getting that experience on the court and getting comfortable with her teammates.”

With the departures of Gilvin, Chatfield and Hayes the Lady Toppers begin a season with a roster that is completely rolled over — with no one from the 2023-24 team still on the roster.

The portal has been a big part of that constant turnover, with recent graduate Alexis Mead — who played all four years at WKU — now the exception and not the norm.

“Because she did that, she is in the record books,” Collins said. “She will be one of the all-time great point guards to have played in a very tradition-rich, success-rich program. Players that change programs won’t have that opportunity. They might be in the record books for a season, but the Clemette Haskins and Lexi Meads and Kendall Nobles … those players, that happens over a career. I think she was a difference maker in a lot of ways.”

Even with the turnover and the mix of eight returning players and six newcomers, Collins said he thinks this team can build off last season’s success — but it might take a little time for it to come together.

“Will be a work in progress even when we get to the start of the season,” Collins said. “I think that is the key thing about what we do and how we do it. We try to keep things simple so that our ramp up speed isn’t long. It’s not complicated what we do. We just try to be as good as we can at what we do.”

SCHEDULE UPDATE

The schedule is nearing completion with only a few knowns in the nonconference schedule.

Indiana State and Wichita State come to Diddle Arena this season, return trips from last season’s games. Collins said a scheduled home game will be one that the fans will be excited about, as well as a road game that is close to being finalized as well.

Collins credited associate head coach Todd Buchanan with putting together a schedule that will challenge and help the Lady Toppers prepare for the Conference USA portion of the season.

“He has done a great job of layering the schedule,” Collins said. “Some of it you can control. Some of it you have to work with, because of the dates available with teams. Some of it you can’t control. Some of it just is where it falls, but we talk about it. He does a great job of trying to manage the schedule based on rest, recovery, travel, confidence. I like how our schedule is starting to (take) shape.”

COACHING STAFF CHANGES

WKU announced the addition of Lexxus Graham-Blincoe as assistant coach on Thursday.

Graham-Blincoe makes her way to WKU after serving for two seasons as an assistant coach with the women’s basketball team at Bowling Green State University. Prior to joining the Falcons, she was an assistant coach at Wittenberg University in 2022-23 and the Director of Basketball Operations at Bellarmine University in 2021-22. She also served as an assistant coach at Georgetown College in 2020-21. Her coaching career began as an assistant coach at George Rogers Clark High School, coaching alongside her father, Robbie Graham.

“I am really excited about welcoming Lexxus and her family to ours,” Collins said in a statement. “She is a high-character, smart, hard-working, young coach who has developed strong recruiting relationships throughout Kentucky and the surroundings states. Her enthusiasm and energy are contagious. I don’t think she’s ever met a stranger. I’ve known her dad for many years. There aren’t many better high school coaches or absolutely great character coaches, than her father.”

Graham-Blincoe fills the the opening left by Temeka Johnson’s departure. Johnson is leaving after three seasons to be closer to her Louisiana home.

“It’s not often that you get a player that has had the career and success she has had, but there are some family things she had to spend time going back and forth to New Orleans,” Collins said. “She’s had other schools call her, but now she has an opportunity to get back to New Orleans and be closer to family. We hate for her to leave but in the long run I think we’ll be fine.”