Purdue Women's Basketball Prepares for Games in Portugal and Spain
Coach Katie Gearlds spoke about what the games will mean moving forward for the program.
"The biggest thing is having an end goal in going to Europe," Gearlds said. "The opportunity to go and play three teams has put us in a position where we are hungry to learn right now."
There will be a few noticeable differences when the Boilermakers take the court and will compete under FIBA rules — a first-time experience for some of the players who will have never competed internationally before August.
"I would say the biggest difference is the shot clock," redshirt freshman point guard Amiyah Reynolds said. "I know they take a couple of seconds off, so just having a good balance of having a shot clock but being slow and playing with pace."
FIBA Rule Adjustments
Notable FIBA rule adjustments include:
- Offensive team has eight seconds to get the ball over the halfcourt line instead of 10 seconds.
- The shot clock will be set to 24 seconds instead of 35 seconds.
- Player has to dribble the ball first before moving.
Reynolds has noticed a shift in the practice atmosphere compared to last season while recovering from foot surgery.
"I think right now we are a lot more competitive," Reynolds said. "We like to go at each other, we like to talk mess to each other and we just have fun playing together."
New Additions and Key Players
Bass is establishing herself in practice just 10 days before the Boilermakers trip to Spain for a series of exhibitions.
The 6-foot-1 senior from Strongsville, Ohio, sank a buzzer-beater 3-pointer fading off her back foot and paced quickly up and down the court.
Bass averaged 16.4 PPG and 9.9 RPG per game and shot 48.4% from the floor at Akron.
But Bass chose to move to West Lafayette instead of staying in familiar grounds, Akron being just 45 minutes from her hometown.
"I was able to step into a leadership position I wanted to that I had at Akron and that was huge for me coming here," Bass said. "Everyone respects each other and it goes both ways. It's not a one-sided leadership and to see what (Coach Katie Gearlds) was talking about and then coming to practice and being exactly what she said builds so much trust."
Bass said she is hoping to play a greater role at Purdue than at Akron where she was used mostly as a scorer in the post after being able to evolve into a stretch 4 where she can hit 3-pointers and hit cutters for assists.
"I'm working on my ball handling, my post ups but I want to extend my range a little bit," Bass said. "I want to be able to do what my teams needs to do, what coach Katie asks me to do but I've been working on my outside shot to add that extra piece we need."
With Bass, the Boilermakers added 2023-2024 WAC Defensive Player of the Year Destini Lombard. Lombard showed her quick hands and intensity calling out her defense and coming away with multiple steals.
Along with Lombard come the additions of former UTEP small forward Mahri Petree, the younger sister of former Boilermaker Lasha Petri who averaged 14.7 points per game in 2022-2023 and 2-time NAIA Player of the Year Ella Collier from Marian University.
Collier is a career 94.2% shooter from the free throw line, 54.4% from the floor, and 45.9% from 3-point range.
Petree is looking to affirm her role and provide guidance to a returning class of underclassmen after she averaged 6.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG and shot 39%.
Building Team Chemistry
Purdue's trip to Spain and Portugal will give Gearlds an early glimpse of the team's overall chemistry in a roster featuring four transfer seniors, four freshmen, and six returning members.
"Right now if we are intentional about doing what we are asking them to do, and that's what it's been this summer, than I'll feel like we've made some success," Gearlds said.
Key underclassmen returners include 2023-2024 Big Ten All-Freshmen Team member Rashunda Jones, Sophie Swanson, redshirt freshman point guard Amiyah Reynolds while true freshmen newcomers are ESPN Top 50 point guard Jordyn Poole of Fort Wayne, Ind., 2024 two-sport New Hampshire Player of the Year center Lana McCarthy and power forward Kendall Puryear from Lee's Summit, Missouri, enter the fray.
"You just got to make sure all that effort is for everyone else," Petree said. "You lay your life on the line for someone else and they know you love them. You lay it down on the line, hustling getting rebounds, not in spite of them but because you love them. And hopefully, that's something we pick up on and want to be a part of."
A New Era for Purdue Women's Basketball
The Boilermakers are looking to build on a successful 2022-2023 season that saw them reach the WNIT semifinals. With a revamped roster and a trip to Europe on the horizon, Purdue women's basketball is poised for a strong 2024-2025 season. Gearlds and her team are excited to see what the future holds and are confident that their European trip will be a valuable learning experience that will help them succeed in the upcoming season.
