The 228-day hiatus has almost concluded as the highly anticipated 2024-25 BGSU women’s basketball season is about to begin.

Last year, despite having a new head coach and an injury-plagued season, BG finished with an above .500 record in non-conference (16-15) and conference (10-8) play.

They also made it back to the WNIT but were eliminated by Butler in the first round.

Head coach Fred Chmiel is now entering his second season as the team’s head coach. The Falcons are fully healthy, are bringing back eight players and adding seven heading into the new season.

“The MAC is a different beast. I mean, those bus trips are real,” Chmiel said. “Those opposing fans are real. You get acclimated to that.”

Safe to say, there is a lot of excitement around the team right now.

“We’ve got great team chemistry. I think they’re a solid unit,” said Chmiel. “Offensively, we’ll play a little bit faster. We’ve trimmed the playbook a lot.  And we’ve tailor-made some stuff for some particular players, but everybody’s going to touch the ball and have to make great decisions.”

Furthermore, Chmiel hired a new assistant coach in John Nicolais, who spent last season as Youngstown State’s interim head coach. 

The Orange and Brown also have eight players that are at least six feet tall. When BGSU last boasted that number in 2010-11, they made it to the NCAA tournament.

Along with that, they are tied with Toledo for the tallest roster in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

“That was one of our areas of improvement was rebounding and, of course, increasing our roster size. We still have some players under six foot that are good that’ll be out on the floor,” said Chimel. “I do think it’s important for matchups, especially when you get in the NCAA tournament, and you’re playing power four teams, to have some size for those matchup abilities.” 

RETURNING PLAYERS 

After her season abruptly ended in Indiana last December, fifth-year guard Lexi Fleming is expected to eventually be back to full health this season.

She averaged 16.7 points per game before her season-ending knee injury. Despite being out last year, Fleming was still involved with the team as a teacher and mentor, showing her leadership.

“I think as a person, especially with my injuries, I’ve seen how you can’t take basketball for granted,” Fleming said. “You got to focus on one day at a time. You can’t focus on people asking me if I’m coming back for another year. Like I’m not focused about that and focused on what’s right in front of me. So I think as a person, that’s been the most important thing.”

Her season was highlighted against Cleveland State when she played the entire game and hit what turned out to be the game-winning free throw with one second on the clock.

To add to that, Fleming is 79.4% in her career when it comes to free throws. In three years, BG also has a record of 55-18 when she is on the floor.

Erika Porter is another fifth-year player rejoining the team. Porter put up historic numbers last season. 

The forward had a .663 field goal percentage, which is a Bowling Green record. Porter also led the team in rebounds.

She concluded her 2023-2024 campaign with a career-high 32 points against Butler.

Senior guard Amy Velasco led the team in points (450) and free-throw percentage (.875) in 2023-24. Velasco was second on the team in three-pointers made at 43.  

In addition, she was one of four players in the starting lineup for every game and earned a spot on the All-MAC second team.

Velasco led the MAC in assists in league play as well with 98. She is also intelligent off the floor, as she became BGSU’s first Academic All-America Team selection in 20 years.

Sophomore guard Paige Kohler had a fantastic campaign as a freshman. She started in all 31 games she participated in and was named to the All-MAC freshman team.

Kohler was also one of two players who played over 1,000 throughout the season. The guard also led all MAC freshmen in numerous categories in conference play.

“I think my teammates helped to acclimate me to the, I mean, it’s different than high school,” the freshman posited. “And I think that they and the coaching staff helped, like, make me feel comfortable.”

Kohler also said there are some things she would like to improve on this season.

“I think scoring more at three levels, instead of just knowing that I’m going to shoot the three or get to the rim, kind of working in the mid-range area,” said Kohler. “My leadership role also, like I said before, just being there for the new girls, even the girls that have already been here.” 

Other players returning are sophomores Taya Ellis and Keiryn McGuff, redshirt sophomore Jasmine Fearne, and junior Emily Siesel, who are all looking to make an impact this season.

THE NEWCOMERS

Kendal Moxey is one of the seven new additions to the team. The 6’4 junior forward transferred from Daytona State College.

Last season, she played in 30 games, had 234 rebounds, and scored 315 points. Moxey’s 7.8 rebounds per game last season is more than the Falcons leader, Porter, who averaged 6.6.

Kristiana Kulackovska is another junior transfer. The 6’ forward/guard played basketball at Eastern Florida State College for the last three seasons. 

In 32 games last year, she had a total of 31 steals and 163 rebounds and averaged 8.4 points per game.

Lauren Gerken is an incoming freshman who stands at 6’1. She left high school as Handcock County’s high school basketball all-time leading scorer with 1,956 career points.

Freshman guard/forward Laila Harrison knows a lot about winning.

In high school, the team she played for finished with a 97-10 record, including an undefeated state championship win in her tenure with the team.

Taylor Wallace enters 2024 listed as a guard. The freshman is a major threat when it comes to shooting, especially beyond the arch.

She shot 42.4% from beyond the arc as a senior in high school, ranking top three in Michigan in that category.

A newcomer for the Orange and Brown that may catch a lot of fans’ attention is freshman guard Johnea Donahue, who hails from Indiana and will look to add some bite to the Falcon’s defense.

Who’s the most excited to play with Donahue this upcoming season? None other than Fleming.

“I think my number one is Nae [Donahue], her defense is insane,” Fleming said.  “It can change a game. So I think she’s the number one player excited to play with.” 

 Freshman guard Brook Simpson also will be joining the team, who hails from Saugatuck, Mich.

SCHEDULE HIGHLIGHTS 

The brand-new season will tip-off on Monday, Nov. 4, against Southern Mississippi at 7 p.m. from the Stroh Center. Falcon Media Sports Network’s Lucas Kleimeyer and Kaden Knapp will call the game.

Southern Miss is coming off a season where they made it to the Super 16 in the WNIT. 

From there, they are slated to travel to ranked West Virginia and Ohio State in mid-November.  

They finish the month out in Florida, playing in the Daytona Beach Classic over Thanksgiving weekend.

Their first MAC contest will come on the first of January against defending conference champion Kent State.

The Battle of the I-75 will take place on Jan. 25 in Toledo and Feb. 22 in Bowling Green. Both games are on a Saturday.

We’re about to find out what year two holds in the Chmiel era. With a fully healthy squad heading into the year, expectations are high, but the team’s goals are more than achievable.