Oregon State Women’s Basketball: A Quick Look At This Year’s Team

The 2021-22 Women’s Basketball Season is about to tip off, which means the time is ripe to take a look at how the Oregon State Women’s Team has weathered the offseason. The team opens at #14 in the AP rankings, and after a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and a bit of turnover, feels like a fair impression. This year’s team will look very different from last year’s, but there’s a lot of excitement in store. Here’s a quick breakdown.

Departures

Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images

• Aleah Goodman
• Sasha Goforth
• Savannah Samuel
• Jasmine Simmons
• Ana Teresa Faustino

After another trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2021, the Oregon State Women’s Basketball went through another offseason rife with changes. The Beavers have once again seen their top scorer depart, with Aleah Goodman graduating and getting a shot at the WNBA. The team also lost promising freshmen Sasha Goforth and Savannah Samuel to the transfer portal, while team veteran Jasmine Simmons returned to Australia.

All four are guards, leaving the Beavers with only two guards who played for the team last season. That could put a strain on the backcourt depth, but the Beavers appear to have restocked well.

Returning

Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images

• Talia von Oelhoffen
• Taylor Jones
• Kennedy Brown
• Ellie Mack
• Taya Corosdale
• Jelena Mitrovic
• Jovana Subasic
• Noelle Mannen
• Andrea Aquino

Von Oelhoffen arrived as an early high school graduate in January and immediately changed the team’s fortunes, giving them another excellent shooter. Taylor Jones should once again be the team’s premier interior threat. One of the biggest questions for the Beavers is just how healthy Kennedy Brown is going to be. After missing all of last season while recovering from an ACL tear early in 2020, Brown is set to return. She may need some time to shake off some rust, but the Brown-Jones tandem looked like a great frontcourt the last time we saw it.

Taya Corosdale returns for her fifth season with the team, and her veteran presence should be a boon to the team. Ellie Mack was a full time starter last season, and while her position could be challenged by some of the new players coming to Corvallis, she’ll have an important role on the team wherever she ends up on the depth chart. Jelena Mitrovic and Jovana Subasic should provide frontcourt depth, and Noelle Mannen should see her time on the court increase as well. Andrea Aquino remains a big question for the team, as she hasn’t been able to take the court as a Beaver due to unspecified health concerns. It would be nice to finally see her in action this season, but her status remains unclear.

Arrivals

Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images

• Greta Kampschroeder
• AJ Marotte
• Emily Codding
• Tea Adams

Talia von Oelhoffen, Greta Kampschroeder and AJ Marotte gave the Beavers one of their best ever recruiting classes headed into the 2021-22 season. Von Oelhoffen managed to join the team early, and if Kampschroeder and Marotte measure up to the level of play Talia delivered, the Beavers backcourt is going to be one of the best in the country. Kampschroeder is a McDonald’s All American Guard out of Naperville High School in Indiana, while Marotte earned 6A All State honors as a Guard for Vista Ridge High School in Cedar Park, Texas.

Both freshmen should be able to contribute right away, but the Beavers’ roster will also be buoyed by a pair of incoming transfers; Emily Codding from Saint Mary’s and Tea Adams from UNLV. With the guard unit in need of a veteran presence, both transfers should see a lot of action.

Final Thoughts

For the past few seasons the Beavers have been a guard focused team, with much of their scoring coming from players like Goodman, Mikayla Pivec and Destiny Slocum. Even with all of the departures, that shouldn’t change much this season. Von Oelhoffen looks like she should be the Beavers next elite three point shooter, but Kampschroeder should make a strong case for herself as well. Both players should contend for starting spots, especially if OSU stick with the 3 Guard, 2 Forward split they’ve tended to run. That third starting guard spot should be quite the competition. Ellie Mack was a full time starter last season, and I would expect her to be the favorite, but there is a lot of incoming talent.

The forward situation is simpler. Taya Corosdale and Taylor Jones should both start, with Kennedy Brown also seeing a lot of minutes. Subasic and Mitrovic should be key defensive contributors off the bench, particularly against teams with a lot of height. In the past the team has struggled to contain big post players, and that seems like it could still be an issue. Defensively the team will also miss Aleah Goodman’s 24 steals, so a defensive playmaker stepping is something the Beavers need to see this season.

We’ll get our first look at the 2021-22 squad when the Beavers host Western Washington in an exhibition match tomorrow afternoon in Corvallis. There will not be a live stream or radio broadcast, so if you want to see the action you’re going to have to get down to Gill Coliseum. Tip off is set for 1 PM.