The 2023-24 season was a success for the Kansas Wesleyan women's basketball team.
The Coyotes finished 17-13 and tied Evangel for fourth place in the Kansas Conference standings with a 14-8 record. They won seven of their last 10 games losing to eventual champion Tabor in the semifinals of the conference's postseason tournament.
Coach Ryan Showman was not entirely thrilled, though.
"When you really dive into the numbers there's probably no reason we should have been in fourth place," he said. "We didn't shoot the ball very well, we didn't take care of it very well, we didn't rebound particularly well, we didn't shoot the 3-ball very well at all.
"I thought we were playing really good in January and February; we won some games that we needed to on the road. ... We went from seventh place to fourth place in the span of a month by winning road games against people above us. You've got a gritty team that just willed themselves to victory."
Four starters and several top reserves return but Showman worked hard during the offseason to make improvements.
"Our conversations in the spring and the summer were that we want to take that next step," he said. "We have to shoot the ball better, we have to defend better, we have to do those little things that add up in the win column. That's been our focus."
Point guard LaMyah Ricks and shooting guard Jill Stephens headline the list of returning players. Both are fifth-year players - Ricks has been at KWU for five years and Stephens three. Ricks was named All-KCAC Second Team while Stephens was Honorable Mention. Stephens was the top scorer (11.3 points) and Ricks close behind (11.2).
"LaMyah Ricks is a very decorated point guard for us," Showman said. "She's helped us win a lot of games and I want to get her to a national tournament. There are a lot of seniors that have poured a lot into this program that I want to get to that next step, that pinnacle of what we're working for."
Six others who saw considerable duty also return. Senior guard Catherine Bowman (3.8 points per game) is back along with junior guards Angel Lee (9.6 ppg) and Hampton Williams (6.9 ppg) and sophomore point guard Odessa Ozuna (6.9 ppg).
Lee was superb late in the season and Bowman excelled on defense. Williams was slowed by an injury that forced her to miss 10 games while Ozuna was solid as Ricks' backup in her freshman year.
"Angel is finishing up nursing clinicals this year and played really well off the bench in January, February and finished a lot of games," Showman said. "Cat worked her tail off in the summertime on things she needed to. She is way better offensively.
"Hampton has come back in better shape and worked extremely hard over the summer. We're going to get her back to her normal four spot which is out on the perimeter. I expect her to have a really big year. Odessa absolutely took those steps we needed from freshmen to sophomore year. She looks really good."
Several other veterans also return in senior post players Alexis Dixon (4.8 ppg) and Skyler Evans (3.3 ppg), who combined for 13 starts; senior guards Megan Foote (1.5 ppg), Kourtney Kaufman (2.9 ppg), Angel Roman (1.7 ppg) and Jada Renner; junior guards Madison Lambert and Adriana DiPrima (1.2) and sophomore center Paige Chauncey.
"What I've seen in the second year is two players (Dixon and Evans) that are way more comfortable," Showman said. "They've bought into what we're doing different offensively because it centers around them in more of a different role and they're figuring that out.
"Foote had a tough junior year but she has a different mindset, a different outlook on things. We're trying to get (Kaufman) a little more consistent defensively but if she can continue to shoot like she has she's going to change how defenses play us. Lambert and DiPrima both worked really hard this summer."
Showman bolstered the roster with three transfers - junior college guards Kelsey Koza from Hesston and Abigail Lambardoni from Fort Fulton (N.Y.) and forward Jocelyn Hall from Division II Illinois-Springfield.
"We've got to get better from the 3-point line," Showman said. "Kelsey shot 35 percent at Hesston, Abby 37 percent so those numbers translate. We can't rely on Jill, LaMyah and Odessa, we need fourth, fifth and sixth options.
"Hall is not as big and strong as Alexa or Skyler but she's long and athletic and provides a different look. She can get to the basket and use her length."
Showman believes the Coyotes are primed for a good season.
"There is depth at every position and now as head coach I need to figure out who's starting, I need to figure out our rotation," he said. "Practices have been really competitive and it's been quality reps by quality players."
Showman has two new assistant coaches. Madelyne Denslow is the full-time assistant after serving as a graduate assistant at Midwestern State. She played at Stephens College. Peyton Crowe is the graduate assistant and a former player at Columbia College.
"Both of them have a great energy, a great presence around the team, really good voice, they know their stuff," Showman said. "I'm thankful to have them."
Showman says the KCAC will be ultra-competitive.
"It's going to be a dog fight every night, there's experience top to bottom," he said. "I think the top six are going to be extremely tough, but I don't think you can sleep on the bottom eight. You better be ready to play on any given night."