The Wisconsin Women’s Basketball team finished with an 8-21 record in head coach Marisa Moseley’s first year. Despite the lackluster record, the Badgers wrapped up their 2021-22 campaign on a high note — winning three of their last seven games, including a Big Ten record and a 22-point comeback win against the Purdue Boilermakers.
The team completed the year with a 5-13 Big Ten record, marking their best conference-winning percentage in seven years. Despite the early season struggles, the Badgers were able to string along a trio of conference victories, funneling a solid foundation to build upon entering Moseley’s second year in Madison.
Current roster
Heading into year two, Moseley’s Badgers will be much stronger in terms of player personnel.
Wisconsin returns four of their five starters from last year, adding much-needed experience and veteran leadership to the roster. Senior guard Julie Pospisilova and redshirt freshman guard Maty Wilke will look to give the Badgers strong offensive output, especially beyond the three-point arc. Rounding out the returning starters are junior guards Brooke Schramek and Halle Douglas.
In addition to sustaining four of the five starters, the Badgers have added eight newcomers. Savannah White, Ronnie Porter, Sania Copeland, Lily Krahn, Tessa Towers, Serah Williams and Mary Ferrito make up this year’s freshmen class. Graduate transfer Avery LaBarbera is the eighth newcomer to Wisconsin and is a proven star in college basketball. LaBarbera, a former Holy Cross Crusader named the 2021-2022 Patriot League Player of the Year, finished her undergraduate career with 1,478 points and 660 rebounds. In an interview with The Badger Herald, Wisconsin Women’s Basketball Associate Head Coach Kate Barnosky spoke on LaBarbera’s impact as a player.
Barnosky said she gives Wisconsin a “distinctive spunk and swagger.”
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Without a doubt, the Badgers have much more depth compared to last year. How will they blend the seven newcomers, one transfer and four of the five starters from last year?
“They all have the same goal in mind, which certainly makes it easier,” Barnosky said. “They want us to win. They want this program to be better. They want to have fun, and they are buying into it.”
What we saw in the exhibition victory
The Wisconsin Badgers dismantled Division III University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 94-41 in an exhibition victory on Oct. 30.
Senior guard Julie Pospisilova led the way with 21 points and six assists. The Badgers never trailed in the game after jumping to an impressive 34-4 lead in the first quarter. A sluggish second quarter didn’t deter the Badgers, as they outscored the Eagles 46-19 in the second half.
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Largely credited to Wilke, LaBarbera and Pospisilova’s scorching hot shooting, Wisconsin was able to finish the game shooting over 53% from the field. Bottom line — the Badgers came ready to play.
They overwhelmed UW La Crosse on defense, forcing tough shots and long passes deep into the shot clock. On the offensive end, the Badgers were able to push the pace and move the ball up the floor, often resulting in transition layups. The Badgers did an exceptional job at pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops thanks to the seamless sync between LaBarbera and Serah Williams. Williams was able to find holes in the defense and make herself available off of the pick and rolls/pops. The Badgers did an exceptional job sharing the ball, something the coaching staff emphasized after the game.
Altogether, it was a pleasing effort in their first taste of competition for Moseley and company. The squad hopes to take that effort, energy and hot shooting into the regular season.
Schedule
Part of what makes the sport of college basketball unique is non-conference scheduling. It is almost like a puzzle, piecing together opponents in hopes of giving your team the best chance to succeed come conference play.
When asked about scheduling, associate head coach Kate Barnosky said the goal was to create a competitive non-conference schedule.
“We wanted to play a wide range of teams, exposing our kids to all styles play and all arenas,” Barnosky said.
Highlighting their non-conference slates includes a matchup in the anticipated Brew City Battle. The Badgers will square off against Kansas State at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Alongside their trip to the baseball diamond, the Badgers will partake in the Paradise Jam from Nov. 24-26. The Badgers will meet Georgia, Seton Hall and VCU in the Virgin Islands. Other notable games include a home matchup against the Florida State Seminoles (ACC/Big Ten Challenge) along with a pair of road games against UW Milwaukee and Illinois State. Sandwiched between their non-conference schedule is a pair of Big Ten games, including a home matchup against the preseason fourth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes on Dec. 4.
Outlook
W.I.S.C.L. — Winning Mindset, Integrity, Selflessness, Communication, Legacy.
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Those are the key pillars that head coach Marisa Moseley and the staff have instilled within the team. These key pillars have helped establish the culture that the Badgers now look to execute.
“For them to buy into that this is bigger than basketball, we’re talking about leadership stuff, we’re talking about making sure we’re giving back to the community. All of those things build into your culture and a championship mindset,” Moseley said in a press conference. “It’s not just about X’s and O’s, but it’s all the things we’re building that they understand who we are, how we’re going to do things at Wisconsin.”
The Badgers will lean on a unique blend of experience and newcomers to create a more versatile and deep roster. This versatility equates to a more up-tempo play style, which will make the Badgers an exciting team to watch.
