- Bears have to replace three all-region players from last season
- Sophomores Joy Beran, Mary Walker and Reese Stevens bring experience from last season
- DMACC begins the season ranked 25th in the NJCAA Division II preseason poll
The DMACC women's basketball team will open the 2024-25 season November 3 against the Grand View University Junior Varsity (GVUJV). Game time is 4 p.m. inside the DMACC gymnasium.
"We're really big and we have some super quick guards," said DMACC women's basketball coach Jocelyn Kovarik. "Our guards can get to the rim and right now it's been a little back and forth on three-point shooting but it's probably the most improvement I've seen in three point shooting in a month of workouts. We're more consistent in reaching our shooting goals."
DMACC was 18-12 last season with a 9-7 record in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC), but three all-region players, Jaden Ainley, Rebekah Fuller and Reanna Hutchinson have graduated, leaving the Bears with holes to fill in their lineup.
Ainley led DMACC in scoring and rebounding, Hutchinson was second in scoring and third in rebounding and Fuller averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds a game.
Top returners are sophomores Joy Beran of Riceville and Mary Walker of Fonda, Neither started last season but Beran finished the year as DMACC's No. 2 rebounder and Walker had a seven-point scoring average. Both will start in the season opener.
"Walker's evolving from her freshman to sophomore year has been amazing," Kovarik said. "She's so much more confident and she understands the way we play a little bit more and what we're trying to run."
Kovarik said Beran is evolving much like Walker.
"She's one of the strongest physically and mentally players we've had in a while," Kovarik said.
Freshman Aunasia Dunn of Kansas City, Mo., is expected to start at point guard and will bring a little more scoring to that position than the Bears have had in the recent seasons.
"She's still working on the pace of the game offensively and defensively," Kovarik said. "It's a big jump from high school to college but I think she'll be big for us."
Freshman Kaylee Stratton of Tiffin and Whitney Jensen of Remsen are also getting consideration at the guard positions along with freshman Brooke Burns of Essex.
"(Jensen) is incredibly fast and she is everywhere on defense," Kovarik said. "She plays at the pace we want to play at."
Sophomore Reese Stevens of Tulsa, Okla., is also in the mix at guard as is and freshman Chloe Costello of Northwood.
"She can shoot," Kovarik said of Reese. "We'll get her in there in spurts and are looking at some deep (three-point shots) from her."
Kovarik said her 2024-25 team will be one of the tallest the Bears have had in recent seasons with nine players standing 5-foot-10 or bigger. The tallest is 6-foot-4 freshman Missy Evezic of Council Bluffs. Freshman Aniston Clayton of Waukee is 6-foot-2 and freshmen Breeley Clayburg of Coon Rapids and Reagan Wheeler of Cedar Falls are both 6-foot. Stevens, Jensen, freshman Hanna Wagenbach of Burlington, Beran and freshman Macey Schnittjer of Jewell are all 5-foot-10.
"Wheeler is very athletic and when she gets to the rim, she finishes at the rim," Kovarik said. "Evezic understands that help-side defense and cutting off the base line. Offensively, she can be big around the rim"
Clayton didn't play much as a high school senior because of injuries but is doing a great according to Kovarik, adding that Clayburg is really strong in the post.
"She offensive rebounds really hard," Kovarik said of Clayburg.
Kovarik said it's going to take some time for the freshmen to adjust to the college game but that they bring a ton of energy to the game.
Kovarik said a strength of her team is going to be its ability to get the ball inside and the ability to get it back outside if the defense collapses on the inside players.
"We want to get up and down the court because we play our best when we're moving and getting fast breaks," Kovarik said. "Defensively we want to pressure in the half court and press in the full court."
The DMACC women's basketball team begins the season ranked 25th in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II preseason poll.
"We do have some great leaders coming back so it's not really a surprise," Kovarik said. "It's good for the girls to see that because as a freshman coming in you don't always have the confidence you need and to see that someone has confidence in you is big."
Following their opener against GVUJV, the DMACC women's basketball team will play in the Kirkwood Classic Nov. 8 and 9 at Cedar Rapids.