What's next for BYU women's basketball in Year 2 under Amber Whiting?

BYU women’s basketball head coach Amber Whiting talks to players during a timeout as the BYU Cougars play the Rice Owls in a Women’s National Invitation Tournament basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Friday, March 17, 2023. BYU lost 71-67. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)


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PROVO — The BYU women's basketball team didn't end the 2022-23 season the way it expected but in some ways, that's a good thing.

The Cougars' 71-67 loss to Rice in the first round of the WNIT dropped BYU to 16-17 in Amber Whiting's first year as head coach, a sub-.500 record for the program for the first time since 1997.

But how many people expected the Cougars to be fighting for their postseason lives — at any level — a year after the retirement of the program's winningest head coach and graduation of four key seniors and the transfer of top scorer Shaylee Gonzales to Texas?

In a moment of candor, Whiting admitted after the loss that there weren't many.

"This was a big building year, and we got to the postseason," Whiting said. "It's not the postseason we want, but now next year, the goal is the NCAA (Tournament). I always want the goal next year and the next year to always be better than what we have right now."

Along the way, Whiting took a group of seldom-used players like Arielle Mackey-Williams, Kaylee Smiler, Emma Calvert and Amanda Barcello and turned them into starters; propelled Nani Falatea from bench spark to lead combo guard; and watched Lauren Gustin blossom into one of the nation's best rebounders, a 27-time double-double machine and 12 boards shy of an NCAA single-season record.

The Salt Lake Community College transfer from Salem Hills High became the best rebounder the program's seen since two-time All-American Tina Gunn Robison. But she offered all the credit to her coaches and teammates.

"She's really pushed us and taught us to fight and come together," Gustin said of Whiting. "I'm just excited for us to really work this summer; we've had one year down, so everyone is a little more comfortable with each other. I feel like everyone can push each other more, and we have really great freshmen coming in.

"It's going to be fun to start working with them, and start getting faster, stronger and ready for the Big 12."

BYU Cougars forward Lauren Gustin goes up for a shot as Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Melody Kempton (33) guards her in the 2022 WCC Women's Basketball Tournament final game at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. BYU lost 59-71.
BYU Cougars forward Lauren Gustin goes up for a shot as Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Melody Kempton (33) guards her in the 2022 WCC Women's Basketball Tournament final game at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. BYU lost 59-71. (Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)

After the season, the Cougars will take a few weeks off to heal and recover. Coaches will hit the transfer portal and the recruiting trail, and a few of the reserves will likely hit the portal for new opportunities themselves.

But after BYU resumes summer workouts and skill development training in June, what will the Cougars have awaiting them as they ready to steer into their first season in the Big 12?

Plenty of hope and optimism for the future.

"It's something that we're going to build on," said Whiting, whose club will also take a preseason trip to Italy, where she lived for several years while her husband Trent played overseas. "We all said we're so young and have no experience. … Now those excuses won't be there next year. We won't be young; we'll have experience.

"And the freshmen and transfers will only enhance what we have. A few of them are already here, so the chemistry has been building."

What's behind the optimism? Here's a look at who Whiting is bringing in, a 2023 recruiting class that could rival any the program has ever seen, with four Gatorade state players of the year (one of which is a two-time honoree), and a top-50 recruit already enrolled in classes.

Incoming freshmen

BYU commit Amari Whiting with her AAU team, Natalie Williams Basketball Academy, during a game over the summer of 2022.
BYU commit Amari Whiting with her AAU team, Natalie Williams Basketball Academy, during a game over the summer of 2022. (Photo: Courtesy, Whiting family)

Amari Whiting, G, Burley, Idaho (Burley HS, Timpview HS)

A four-star athlete, the 5-foot-10 combo guard was the No. 33 overall prospect in ESPN's Top 100. The 2022 Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year holds the Burley High record for most games played (44), points in a season (700) and career points (1,910).

Whiting also takes after both parents, BYU basketball alums Amber and Trent, as a defensive menace who totaled a school-record 395 career steals at Burley. She was set to join a power program at Timpview when her mother took the head coaching job at BYU, but an ACL injury disrupted those plans. Now she's graduated and enrolled at BYU, where she's been going through rehab with the athletic training staff to return in the fall.

Kailey Woolston, G, Highland, Utah (Lone Peak HS)

A leader on and off the court, Woolston averaged 20.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game while leading the Knights to a 23-3 record and a second-straight 6A state title in 2022-23. The 5-foot-11 guard is the highest scoring guard in Lone Peak history, and was named to the All-Tournament team at the Nike Tournament of Champions.

A 4.0 student, Woolston is a three-time Region 4 MVP, first-team all-state selection, 6A player of the year as a junior in 2022, and state player of the year by Gatorade, MaxPreps and the Deseret News in 2023.

Lone Peak's Kailey Woolston drives to the rim against Centennial as the No. 15 Knights face No. 23 Centennial (Nev.) at Holiday Hoopfest at Lehi High School, Friday, Dec. 9, 2022 in Lehi.
Lone Peak's Kailey Woolston drives to the rim against Centennial as the No. 15 Knights face No. 23 Centennial (Nev.) at Holiday Hoopfest at Lehi High School, Friday, Dec. 9, 2022 in Lehi. (Photo: Sean Walker, KSL.com)

Marina Mata, F, Barbastro, Spain (Segle XXI)

One of Whiting's "hidden gems" in the Class of 2023 with 24 games of international experience and a runner-up finish with Spain at the U-17 World Championships in 2022, Mata, a 6-foot-2 wing, averaged 10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game en route to a provincial championship in her home country.

Ali'a Matavao, F, Henderson, Nev. (Liberty HS)

A two-time Gatorade Nevada state player of the year, Matavao averaged 17.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.9 steals, 1.7 assists and 0.5 blocks per game while leading the Patriots to an 18-10 record and the 5A Southern Regional semifinals. The 6-foot forward teamed with Whiting (and others) with the Natalie Williams Basketball Academy on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit, and also excelled in volleyball and track and field.

Jana Sallman, F, Hudson, Ohio (Western Reserve Academy)

An Egyptian international who went to high school in Ohio, Sallman averaged 14.7 points, 10 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game at the FIBA U-18 African women's championships in 2022. A big with the ability to shoot from deep, the 6-foot-2 post averaged 11.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game as a senior while helping Western Reserve Academy to a 13-15 record.

Transfers

Jennah Isai, G, Surprise, Ariz. (Oregon/Valley Vista HS)

A four-star prospect ranked No. 36 nationally by espnW in 2022, Isai initially signed with Oregon, where she averaged 7.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 10 games off the bench during the 2022-23 before transferring and enrolling at BYU at the semester break.

The 5-foot-11 guard was the Gatorade Arizona Player of the Year in 2021-22, when she averaged 25.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.6 steals and 2.7 assists per game while leading Valley Vista to a 25-5 record and the 6A state championship.

Ashala Moseberry, G/F, Levelland, Texas (South Plains College)

Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Moseberry earned Western Junior College Athletic Association first-team honors while leading South Plains to a 22-9 record, including an 11-3 mark in league play and a spot in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA national tournament.

The 5-foot-10 wing averaged 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and initially committed to Charlotte last May before flipping to Whiting and enrolling at BYU in time for the winter semester, working with the practice squad in Provo.

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