It was supposed to be championship week for the Western Kentucky women’s basketball team with the Lady Toppers heading to Huntsville, Alabama for the Conference USA Tournament.

Instead the offseason has begun early for WKU, which missed the field of 10 after an 8-21 season that included a 4-14 mark in league play.

A roster that began the season with limited experience and six newcomers took time to come together, with the growing pains felt longer than expected. WKU finished 3-3 in the final six games, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a nine game conference losing streak that put the Lady Toppers in a hole heading into the final month.

WKU coach Greg Collins said his team was playing its best ball down the stretch, but it took a little longer to come together than needed for the team to make it to Huntsville.

“We would have loved for this to come together in November,” Collins said. “It’s just hard to get them here in July and August and get ‘em cooking by November. Sometimes we are starting at a different point. There might be a lot of fundamentals. One thing I have always been proud of all of our teams … you see the progress in these girls each year. They grow and they become better. It just takes a little bit of time to do that.”

Sophomore guard Trinity Rowe agreed that WKU was at its most competitive down the stretch.

“I think we definitely got to where we wanted to be playing-wise,” Rowe said. “You just want to see that come together a little earlier. I think some of the injuries we had kind of prohibited that a little, but all excuses aside coach Collins gave us everything he had to try get us going. He got us going at the end (but) it was a little too late – especially with not every team in the conference being able to go to the tournament this year. It kind of sucks for us, but it shows us next year what we can do under him.”

Injuries also played a role in stunting the growth early. Rowe missed eight games, while sophomore Salma Khedr – who emerged as a viable offensive weapon – missed three games.

“We had some tough breaks there, but it helped some other ladies to grow,” Collins said. “I felt like they started to get comfortable with one another somewhere around late January, earlier February and then we started playing a little better. We still run into that scoring issue, just being able to put enough points on the board to win.”

Rowe said she will use the disappointing season as motivation for next year.

“I want to compete for a championship every time I set foot on the floor,” Rowe said. “I want to know that’s what we are working towards. We want to do it for coach as well, because he gives us everything he has.”

With the season complete, work has already begun on next season.

Following Saturday’s season-ending loss to Florida International, WKU announced that Collins would return for his ninth season as head coach.

The announcement included a statement from WKU athletic director Todd Stewart. He said a significant financial commitment, including from Collins, and the coach’s previous success weighed into the decision.

“Multiple donors have made a significant commitment to the program’s NIL fund and our major women’s basketball benefactors want this,” Stewart said. “Coach Collins is also making a financial commitment. As a result, the program will have substantially more resources available with respect to NIL in building a roster for 2026-27 than we had in 2025-26.”

Collins, who will donate part of his salary to the NIL fund, said his staff has already begun work on the transfer portal.

“You don’t wait until it opens to start working,” Collins said.

The roster will add three early signees – Jamila Ray, Elise Coleman and Kendall Perry – with Collins and his staff still recruiting for this season and beyond.

“That’s what it comes down to,” Collins said. “We’ve got to find the players that can get us back in that contention. I’m really proud of the young ladies – Trinity Rowe and Salma (Khedr) and Torri (James) – all played their hearts out and they’ve gotten better as the season has gone along. I’m proud of them. They will work hard in the offseason and we’ve got some good young ladies that have already signed. We’ve got some more that are ready to sign.”