Athletic Director Joni Comstock was at the women's Final Four last year. On a scouting trip. Instead of watching UConn romp, she watched her future head coach, Melissa McFerrin, lead the Minnesota Golden Gophers to national prominence.
Comstock looked to make a splash with her first major hire as athletic director, and if she has anything to say about it, Eagles backers may still be drying themselves off, as McFerrin looks to be the gem that AU knew it was getting.
Within a month, the former Gopher assistant was on her way to Bender Arena, inheriting a winning team that came within a few jumpers of the NCAA tournament last year.
"This is a great team and a great situation here at AU," McFerrin said. "They've been open-minded and totally bought into what we're trying to do."
McFerrin takes over for Shann Hart, who took AU to the Patriot League championship game, but resigned in April.
This year's Eagles have a very good shot at contending again, and were picked third in the PL preseason poll, behind Holy Cross, which was 13-15 last year, and reigning champion Colgate, which also underwent a coaching change.
"We plan to win right away and become the class of the Patriot League," McFerrin said. "We've got six seniors who have one goal on their mind, and that's the NCAA tournament."
Of those six seniors, four will start: leading scorer and preseason All-Patriot League player Chanel Hunt, guard Joanna Barnes, forward Jenyce Woodruff and center Kim Salem.
Junior point guard Tala Hadavi, who sat out last year after transferring, will join them. Hadavi will be asked to carry much of the ball-handling duties, run the offense and knock down the outside shot consistently.
"We're certainly asking a lot of Tala, but she's so excited to get out there and play," said McFerrin. "She's a high-tempo guard who will help our fast break and provide major scoring opportunities for us."
All preseason, Hadavi has looked like the point guard the Eagles knew they were getting a year ago. Her size (5'10") makes her one of the biggest guards in the conference and should give her a distinct advantage over shorter counterparts like Holy Cross' Sarah Placek, who is only 5'5".
Her arrival allows Barnes to move to shooting guard, where she can flourish now by spotting up and shooting her smooth jumper instead of having to create her own shot.
Up front, Woodruff and Salem must provide the Eagles with an inside presence. Woodruff is a defensive stopper who worked all summer to refine her offensive game. Salem varies - some nights she scores 16 points, while other nights she fails to break six. If they can combine to give the Eagles 20 points a game, that will open up the outside for Barnes and Hadavi.
The ex-factor in this whole equation is Hunt. The star forward was picked to be on the All-Patriot League team for the third straight year. However, she was very inconsistent last year and never seemed to find her niche, switching back and forth between the small forward and power forward spots.
This season, McFerrin made it clear that Hunt is her starting small forward, who will combine her mid-range jumper with a ferocious drive to the basket, and can mix in a nice back-to-the-basket game when the Eagles go small.
A consistent 15 points and 10 rebounds from Hunt will give the Eagles flexibility with their lineup, as well as a go-to scorer in the clutch. Her free-throw shooting is almost automatic, meaning the ball will be in the hands of AU's senior leader in close games.
"Chanel needs to accept the fact that her team needs her to be a very good player, a star," McFerrin said.
The big difference for Hunt will be the presence of a legitimate point guard. Last year, Barnes and graduated seniors Chanel Spriggs and Kaitlyn Schuyler all took turns at the point. All three were scorers first and lacked the playmaking ability of Hadavi.
Her presence should open up shots for Hunt and Barnes, who become the one-two scoring punch the Eagles have lacked. Also, the post players should find passes in the right places this year and plenty of layups, and they'll learn quickly the value of a playmaking point guard who plays 35 minutes a game.
Off the bench, McFerrin has the combination of youth and experience, and it looks like she's going to side with youth. Freshman Natalie Walker and Katie Hirschler will play prominent roles as the primary backups to Woodruff and Barnes.
Sophomore Tara Williams, a defensive stud who's been inconsistent on offense, reminds many of Spriggs, who broke every defensive record at AU. She's a hustle player who will be the first player off the bench most nights. She gives AU the versatility to go big when she plays in the backcourt, alongside Hadavi, or to go small, by playing the three and moving Hunt over to the power forward slot.
Also on the bench are seniors Angel Jordan and Damarah Rhymer. Jordan will give the Eagles an offensive gunner off the bench who can provide instant offense. You can be sure that whenever the Eagles are down eight with three minutes to go, Jordan will enter the game and be called on for a couple quick treys.
Rhymer will primarily be used to give Hadavi a break and provide a defensive spark when the Eagles press.
One of the most important Eagles is not even on the active roster yet. Center Abby Lipskis, who transferred midway through last year, will become eligible next semester, and will give the Eagles a legitimate low-post threat.
"She's our only player that has mass and power on the block, defensively and on the glass," said McFerrin of her 6-foot-2-inch junior.
While Lipskis likely won't start, she will provide AU with valuable minutes off the bench, and a lineup of her, Salem and Hunt up front will give most teams in the league a horrific match-up.
With superstars Malissa Burke of Colgate, Katie Macfarlane of Army and Courtney Davidson of Navy out of the league, the Patriot League title hunt should be a wide-open race to the finish.
"We love our chances," said McFerrin. "It's funny, you try and get a grasp on this animal we call women's basketball, but it's so tough. I've breathed this game for 20 years, and I'm really excited to be a part of this vision we have set up here."
The Eagles will pride themselves on being a tough, defensive-minded, team-oriented squad that McFerrin is convinced will win every year and put AU on the women's basketball map.
With a brand new toy in Hadavi and old reliables Barnes, Hunt and Salem, vibrant young coach McFerrin really may hold the keys to a successful little experiment that could lead her back to where she's most comfortable: the NCAA tournament.
