Senior Lexi Deden shows off her 2022-23 Big Sky championship ring.
Rings and Things: Bobcat Women Open Fall Practice
10/5/2023 4:36:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Montana State women’s basketball team packed a lot into its first week of full practices.
The Montana State women's basketball team packed a lot into its first week of full practices.
Last Friday, the Bobcats unveiled its new locker room; returning players received their 2022-23 Big Sky Conference regular season championships rings; and the squad was honored at MSU's Homecoming game, Saturday.
And while the first week was full of appetizers, the meat and potatoes portion of the 2023-24 campaign started to take shape on the hardwood.
"Our energy is great," said 19th year head coach Tricia Binford, who has led the Bobcats to a regular season or tournament title – or both – in six of the most recent eight seasons. "We have a lot of new faces, and we still have a few kids that are out and working themselves back from injuries. We haven't had a great look yet as far as all the pieces together, but what we do know is that we have a lot of different options, so that's exciting."
Montana State returns seven letterwinners, including two starters from last year's squad that went 20-11 overall and 13-5 in Big Sky action. Binford also welcomes back redshirt-freshman Brooke Berry, who transferred to MSU from New Mexico prior to the start of spring semester. Six newcomers dot the 2023-24 roster, including Drea Brumfield, a 6-2 sophomore who started her collegiate career at Pepperdine.
Binford will look to seniors Lexi Deden, Katelynn Limardo, and Taylor Janssen to set the tone for the squad this winter. "Lexi played a lot at the four last year, and we'll move her to the five this season which is just going to elevate her game to another level, it's her natural fit," Binford commented.
"And people know KJ (Limardo) is a shooter, but I think she'll be able to do some things off cuts and off some handoff action," Binford added. "She will have more opportunities with floor space to post up at times. Taylor gives us mismatches with certain kinds of defenses. She is somebody that can do a lot of things. She's versatile, can pick and pop, she can roll, and she got a lot stronger in the weightroom. Taylor really had a great summer."
With the departures of All-Big Sky players Darian White and Kola Bad Bear, Binford stressed the importance of getting everyone on the same page as early as possible. "Rebounding and taking care of the ball are the two priorities," she said.
Sophomore Marah Dykstra, along with Berry, will be called upon to shore up MSU's presence under the glass, while Dylan Philip will be asked to lead from the point-guard position.
"Marah had a great summer playing with her national team and really comes in well prepared for the season," Binford said. "She's been really steady for us, and her confidence is showing. Marah is going to be a bigger part of what we are doing this year.
"Dylan is going to be a big piece stepping into ball-handling and leadership roles," Binford added. "She will have more of an opportunity to make an impact this season. We'll also need the two transfers to contribute early on. They are both very athletic and will help us in a variety of ways."
Returners Lindsey Hein and Mattie Olson are both working back from injuries.
Binford will look to her veterans early on while the underclassmen get their feet wet. "All of our newcomers have the potential to make an impact. And each one brings something different to the program."
With the season less than a month away, Binford will rely on the things that have made Bobcat basketball successful over the past decade. "We're going to be long and we're going to be fast," she stated. "And on the defensive end, I really like how our pressure is picking up."
Last Friday, the Bobcats unveiled its new locker room; returning players received their 2022-23 Big Sky Conference regular season championships rings; and the squad was honored at MSU's Homecoming game, Saturday.
And while the first week was full of appetizers, the meat and potatoes portion of the 2023-24 campaign started to take shape on the hardwood.
"Our energy is great," said 19th year head coach Tricia Binford, who has led the Bobcats to a regular season or tournament title – or both – in six of the most recent eight seasons. "We have a lot of new faces, and we still have a few kids that are out and working themselves back from injuries. We haven't had a great look yet as far as all the pieces together, but what we do know is that we have a lot of different options, so that's exciting."
Montana State returns seven letterwinners, including two starters from last year's squad that went 20-11 overall and 13-5 in Big Sky action. Binford also welcomes back redshirt-freshman Brooke Berry, who transferred to MSU from New Mexico prior to the start of spring semester. Six newcomers dot the 2023-24 roster, including Drea Brumfield, a 6-2 sophomore who started her collegiate career at Pepperdine.
Binford will look to seniors Lexi Deden, Katelynn Limardo, and Taylor Janssen to set the tone for the squad this winter. "Lexi played a lot at the four last year, and we'll move her to the five this season which is just going to elevate her game to another level, it's her natural fit," Binford commented.
"And people know KJ (Limardo) is a shooter, but I think she'll be able to do some things off cuts and off some handoff action," Binford added. "She will have more opportunities with floor space to post up at times. Taylor gives us mismatches with certain kinds of defenses. She is somebody that can do a lot of things. She's versatile, can pick and pop, she can roll, and she got a lot stronger in the weightroom. Taylor really had a great summer."
With the departures of All-Big Sky players Darian White and Kola Bad Bear, Binford stressed the importance of getting everyone on the same page as early as possible. "Rebounding and taking care of the ball are the two priorities," she said.
Sophomore Marah Dykstra, along with Berry, will be called upon to shore up MSU's presence under the glass, while Dylan Philip will be asked to lead from the point-guard position.
"Marah had a great summer playing with her national team and really comes in well prepared for the season," Binford said. "She's been really steady for us, and her confidence is showing. Marah is going to be a bigger part of what we are doing this year.
"Dylan is going to be a big piece stepping into ball-handling and leadership roles," Binford added. "She will have more of an opportunity to make an impact this season. We'll also need the two transfers to contribute early on. They are both very athletic and will help us in a variety of ways."
Returners Lindsey Hein and Mattie Olson are both working back from injuries.
Binford will look to her veterans early on while the underclassmen get their feet wet. "All of our newcomers have the potential to make an impact. And each one brings something different to the program."
With the season less than a month away, Binford will rely on the things that have made Bobcat basketball successful over the past decade. "We're going to be long and we're going to be fast," she stated. "And on the defensive end, I really like how our pressure is picking up."
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