After Big Sky crown and NCAA berth, EWU women’s basketball reloads with mix of youth, transfers

After a couple of years coaching a veteran roster, Joddie Gleason has been enjoying the opportunity to lead a younger team heading into this women’s basketball season.

“There is a new energy,” Gleason said. “We haven’t had freshmen in a couple years. … They are so eager. They are so excited to be in college. They are so excited to be at Eastern Washington. They are just fun to be around.”

The challenge for the defending Big Sky Conference champions – in the regular season and in the league tournament – is to reload after winning a program-record 29 games last season.

“It’s been fun,” senior Alexis Pettis said. “It’s exciting getting to know these new people and getting to play with them. I always love playing under coach Joddie. It’s going to be an exciting year.”

Pettis’ 91 career games played are the most among Eastern’s returners, but the Eagles also added three experienced players through the transfer portal. Grad student Peyton Howard transferred after four years at Seattle University, where she started 94 of the 113 games she played.

Guard Rachel Harvey transferred from Cal State Northridge, where she played in 85 games and started 23. And forward Paris Kirk, now a junior, played in 42 games over the last two seasons at Robert Morris.

It’s also not as if the roster fully turned over: The Eagles return eight players, which Gleason said has helped maintain the team’s culture.

“These players know what we expect and know what it takes, what it means to be a good teammate and what it means to be an Eagle,” Gleason said. “… I think it’s their time, and I’m super excited to see them be able to get on the court a little bit more. We had some pretty strong players in front of them.”

Throughout the offseason, then, the focus, Pettis said, has been on steady growth.

“We’re going to be a high-energy team, and we’re going to work together as best as we can,” Pettis said. “We’ve got a lot of pieces, a lot of good freshmen and transfers, and the people who’ve been here are improving every single day.”