Women’s basketball ready to usher in new era

With a young roster at her disposal, first-year Boston University women’s basketball head coach Katy Steding is eager to start a new chapter of women’s hoops in Boston. Steding replaces Kelly Greenberg, who led the program for 10 seasons before resigning in the spring amid accusations of bullying players.

With Greenberg’s departure, three new assistant coaches, four freshmen and the return of only six veterans accompany the change at the helm to Steding.

Assistant coaches Taj McWilliams-Franklin and Cindy Blodgett, both of who played in the WNBA, and Stephanie Tobey, who has coached at multiple division levels, make up a staff rich in coaching and playing experience.

“I love to brag about my assistants,” Steding said. “It’s pretty amazing. Both Cindy and Stephanie have had such amazing resumes in terms of coaching. They’ve been all over the place. They’ve both been head coaches and assistants for a number of years. They’re great recruiters. And Taj has blended in very seamlessly.”

She has reason to brag.

McWilliams-Franklin started her professional career with the Orlando Miracle and was part of the Connecticut Sun, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Detroit (now Tulsa) Shock, New York Liberty and finally the Minnesota Lynx, where she won a WNBA title in 2011.

Blodgett was picked by the now-defunct Cleveland Rockers sixth overall in the 1998 WNBA draft. Blodgett also played on the Sacramento Monarchs alongside Steding before starting her coaching career at BU in 1999. She now returns after serving on the coaching staffs of Brown University and the University of Maine.

Tobey, a native of West Yarmouth, played college basketball at Bryant University in Rhode Island. She later coached at Fordham University, Lynchburg College, Lasell College and Brown University, as well.

“They’re honest,” Steding said. “They’re great role models, but they can mentor the kids from such different places. They all have their niche, they have great personalities and they’re just amazing people. I’m constantly in awe.”

The Terriers finished the 2013-14 season 13-20 overall and went 7-11 in Patriot League play before losing to the United States Military Academy in the conference quarterfinals on March 6.

Last season, BU scored an average of 59.6 points per game, ranking second-to-last in the Patriot League, while the team’s .366 field goal percentage put them above just Loyola University-Maryland and Colgate University in the conference stat sheets. Much of BU’s scoring last season, however, came from players who have since graduated, so Steding will be challenged to generate scoring with this year’s less experienced personnel.

The newest additions to the 2014-15 roster include forwards Erin Bayram and Kara Sheftic, and guards Corrine Williams and Megan Doogan.

Senior forward Mollie McKendrick — who averaged 9.1 points per game last season — and junior guard Clodagh Scannell, who started in 15 games during the 2013-14 campaign and scored 6.8 points per game, are expected to help lead the Terriers out on the court this season. Yet Steding will look to all of her players to be leaders on the floor.

“Everyone takes on the mantle of leadership in one form or another,” she said. “Some people are great role models. Some are leading from experience and by example. Some people are great verbal motivators.”

In the first few weeks of practice, Steding said her team has been focused on fine-tuning their transition offense, post and guard interaction and improvements to their conditioning.

The Terriers’ frontcourt is rounded out by sophomore forward Meghan Green, who played 9.7 minutes and contributed 3.5 points per game as a freshman.

BU’s backcourt also includes sophomores Sarah Hope and Courtney Latham and redshirt junior Troi Melton. Hope and Scannell appeared in all 33 games, while Melton appeared in only eight games.

Steding and her staff have the challenging but unique opportunity to redefine BU women’s hoops, however they will face competitive Patriot League and non-conference powers like Harvard University and Marist College.

The Terriers will start their season against Northeastern University Friday on the road. From there, they will then face Harvard University, Boston College and the University of Vermont before traveling to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the University of New Mexico Thanksgiving Tournament from Nov. 28 to 29.

When asked what she hoped her team’s identity would be this year, Steding said she was confident that her team would be one defined by its competiveness.

“The thing for me is that they never give up, never quit, always play as hard as they can all the time,” she said. “That’s all I ever really want my teams to stay focused on. If you compete as hard as you can, my staff and I are going to put you in situations to help you