Last year proved to be a disappointing season for the Oakland University women’s basketball team. The Golden Grizzlies managed only two conference road victories and finished the schedule with a dismal stretch of seven losses in eight games.

Lacking confidence and momentum, OU was bounced in the first round of the Summit League tournament by Kansas City, posting an 11-17 record on a rather forgettable season.

But that was last year, and this season has head coach Beckie Francis excited and expecting big things for her squad. The whole team has a fresh, new look on what hopes to be a bounce-back year.

“I’m really excited for this season,” Francis said. “I can’t wait to play someone else and show people what we can do.”

Losses and Injuries

Francis leads a roster that has seen major turnovers from last season. Oakland lost two key seniors on both ends of the floor last year, with the graduation of Sharise Calhoun and Brittany Carnago.

Calhoun was one of the top scorers last season, and Carnago finished with 276 blocked shots, a school record.

In addition to that void, less than a month after the loss to Kansas City, Malika Glover, Jenna Bachrouche and Lauren Robak all decided to transfer to other schools. Between these five players, OU collectively lost a third of its team.

Despite these losses, OU still boasts arguably the best all-around player in the league with Bethany Watterworth. Watterworth, a senior who can play at forward or center, is the top returning scorer in the conference after scoring 18.7 points per game last season. She is a respected offensive force across the Summit League, as coaches and media voted her the Preseason Player of the Year.

“When you have a player like Bethany offensively, we honestly play through her,” said teammate Victoria Lipscomb. “We know her strengths and where she likes the ball. She also has the same mentality back to us, if she is getting double or triple teamed, she will get the ball back to us in open spaces.”

Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, their floor general will be on the sidelines at the beginning of the year. Watterworth suffered an undisclosed injury late last week, and she will be out of the lineup for an unspecified length of time.

“We are a student-athlete centered program so our concern at the moment is for Bethany’s health and well-being,” said Francis. “The doctors say that the prognosis is positive for a speedy recovery. As Bethany progresses through the healing process we, will begin to look at a time frame for a possible return, but for now we’re just focusing on her health and her academics.”

This injury could prove to be a huge blow to the OU’s potential success, especially with the season only weeks away. However, Francis views the loss as a chance for other players to take on the burden left behind by her star senior.

“We will not view this as an excuse, but will instead focus on the opportunity it provides other players to step up and play a greater role in our team’s success,” Francis said. “Watterworth has many valuable skills, including leadership and experience which will help us get through a challenging non-league schedule.”

Aggressive foes

That challenging non-league schedule features some marquee opponents. Oakland hosts Michigan State Dec. 5 and Purdue Dec. 16.

Despite having two Big Ten teams come to the O’rena, the most highly anticipated game of the season is when the Golden Grizzlies travel to perennial championship contender Connecticut Dec. 19. UConn has advanced to five straight Final Fours and will be a heavy favorite against Oakland but will offer the Golden Grizzlies a chance to play the very best competition possible.

“Any way you look at it, it’s a win-win for us to get to play these big schools,” junior guard Elizabeth Hamlet said.  “We put all this hard work in to compete, and it is a huge confidence boost that our coach believes we can play against these kinds of schools.”

Fellow junior guard Zakiya Minifee agreed.

“Being that Victoria (Lipscomb) and I are from East Lansing, we have a special place in our heart from MSU and it’s great because it allows for friends and family to come see us,” Minifee said. “Playing a BCS school excites you and gets you pumped up. Having that challenge and uphill battle gives you something to work towards, and it makes you a stronger player.”

New and young faces

Oakland will lean on a strong freshman class to help it compete with some of these big names, as well as Summit rivals, especially if Watterworth is unavailable.

Elizabeth Hamlet’s younger sister Annemarie, Olivia Nash, Elena Popkey and Halle Wangler make up this year’s newcomers, and their teammates and coach were quick to praise.

“These are impact freshman and mature players,” Francis said. “These aren’t the same kind of class we have had the past few years. It is going to be very competitive and two or three of them might even start.”

Watterworth referred to Hamlet and Popkey, specifically, as two shooters who will help offensively.

“This year the girls have put in a lot of hard hours in the summer,” Watterworth said. “ I think it will definitely pay off.”

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Contact Senior Reporter Tim Pontzer via email at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @timothy_pontzer