Season Preview: Women’s Basketball 2023-24

MILLIGAN, Tenn. (October 24, 2023) – The Milligan University women's basketball team looks to continue its run as one of the top teams in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) in 2023-24.

Visual Preview

The Buffs open their season on Oct. 29 at the Steve Lacy Fieldhouse against Faulkner.

2022-23 Season Review: The Buffs posted their second-straight top-three conference finish last winter. Milligan went 19-10 on the season and earned the third seed in the AAC Tournament with a 17-7 league record. The Buffs fell to Montreat in the AAC Tournament quarterfinals.

"The 22-23 season was a season to be proud of. Our team chemistry and culture is as strong as ever, due to the intentionality of last year's team," said fourth-year head coach Kylie Russell Greer. "While our performance on the court was solid, we still feel like we left multiple wins on the table. That's a motivator for this season."

During the regular season Milligan won at least four games in a row three times. A 8-1 record in January, all against AAC opponents, was highlighted by an 85-76 win over then-undefeated first-place Reinhardt.

The Buffs graduated three starters in guard Kristy Galea, guard Kayla Romines and forward Stacia Wilson. Kaylee Hendrickson, who appeared in all 29 games off the bench, also received her diploma last spring.

Team Captains: Lauren Longmire, Jaycie Jenkins, Erin Larkin, and Aida Castell Munoz.

"These women were nominated and affirmed by their teammates for this leadership role," said Greer.

2023 Preseason Poll: The Buffs were picked third in the AAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

T1. Bryan - 183 (7 first-place votes)
T1. Pikeville - 183 (5)
3. Milligan - 169
4. Reinhardt - 142
5. Tennessee Wesleyan - 140 (1)
T6. Johnson - 116
T6. Montreat - 116
8. Bluefield - 110
9. KCU - 85
10. CIU - 84
11. Columbia - 76
12. Truett - 56
13. Brenau - 44
14. Union - 39
15. SAU - 17

Key Returners: The Buffs return their three leading scorers to the Milligan lineup in 2023-24.

"We lost some amazing players and leaders, but we do maintain many of our statistical leaders from last season," said Greer. "In addition, two returning scorers (Jaycie, Lauren, Semaj), Lauren and Madi carried much of the weight on rebounding and defense as well. "

Senior Jaycie Jenkins returns to the court after appearing in just 13 games last season due to injury. The 2021-22 NAIA All-American and two-time All-AAC First Team honoree averaged 10.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Jenkins made one appearance in the fall semester and played the final 12 games of the 2022-23 season. She scored in double-digits in six games, including the final five games of the year.

"Jaycie is back to her normal self in practices this year, and I know all our opponents are worried about her being back on the court at 100 percent," said Greer. "We have big expectations of her this year, of course. She's one of the best scorers and rebounders in the country, but she's also going to have a lot of assists this year because of the talent around her."

Jenkins was the nation's fifth-leading scorer at 21.7 points per game two seasons ago. She scored her 1,000th career point as a Buff in her 51st career game as a sophomore.

Junior Lauren Longmire enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign in 2021-22. After earning AAC All-Freshman and AAC All-Defensive Team honors as a freshman, Longmire led the Buffs in scoring, rebounding, assists and minutes on her way to an All-AAC First Team nod. Longmire averaged 13.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists in nearly 30 minutes of action per game.

"Lauren is a player who truly puts her team first," said Greer. "We have all seen her drop 30, she could any night of the week, but her number one priority is always being a great teammate and getting a win. As a junior, we expect her to elevate her game to another level and she will probably have a smile on her face while she is doing it."

Longmire ranked in the top 15 of the 16-team AAC in field goals made, free throws made, free throw percentage, three-point percentage and assists. She scored in double-figures in 18 games, including five 20-point outings and a career high 34 points at Kentucky Christian.

Sophomore guard Semaj Clark emerged as one of the top freshmen in the AAC last season. Clark was the Buffs' third-leading scorer at 8.7 points per game and averaged double-figures 10.8 points per game across 16 games in January and February.

"Semaj I expected to be a consistent contributor once again, but she will also be a higher priority on our opponents scouting reports this year," said Greer. "We expect her to receive much more pressure than last year, but she has added many skills to her toolbox during this offseason. It's safe to expect some big games from her."

One of the most efficient scorers in the AAC, Clark shot 50 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from three, ranking top-five in the AAC in both categories. Clark memorably made all seven of her shots, including five three-pointers on her way to a season-high 19 points in a win over first-place Reinhardt. Clark was Milligan's leading scorer with 17 points in the Buffs' AAC Tournament defeat to Montreat.

Senior guard Madi Runnels started 26 games last winter and finished fifth in the conference in blocks (37). One of Milligan's top defenders and rebounders, Runnels averaged 4.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

Senior forward Emma Harig returns to Milligan's frontcourt after averaging 5.4 points and 2.7 rebounds in her debut season with the Buffs. Harig scored in double-digits four times, including a season high 19 points in 14 minutes against St. Andrews. During Milligan's dominant January, Harig averaged 7.6 points on 53.2 percent shooting in just under 15 minutes per game.

Sophomore guard Kenzie Campbell worked her way into Milligan's rotation during the second half of the season in 2022-23. Campbell averaged 9.8 minutes and 2.6 points over the final 16 games of the season. She scored a season high of seven points in wins over Reinhardt and Johnson (Tenn.).

Graduate forward Aida Castell Munoz and senior forward Erin Larkin each appeared in double-digit games off the bench. Both players averaged 2.3 points per game.

Newcomers: The Buffs add nine newcomers to the roster for 2023-24.

Graduate student Halie Padgett returns after graduating from Milligan in 2022. In her final season with the Buffs, Padgett earned All-AAC First Team honors after averaging 13.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

"In addition to First Team honors as senior, she had one of the highest shooting percentages in the country, 63 percent," said Greer. "Padgett hasn't missed a beat since returning to play. She has a knack for scoring and will be a great 'addition' to this year's team."

Sophomore transfer McKenna Myers joins the Buffs after beginning her collegiate career at Tusculum. Myers appeared in 15 games off the bench for the Pioneers last winter.

The Buffs have seven incoming freshmen on the roster, four of which earned All-State honors in high school.

"This is certainly one of the best recruiting classes we have had a Milligan," said Greer. "Multiple of them are vying for positions on varsity, and I have really high expectations for them over their four years here."

Looking at the Schedule: The Buffs play a 22-game conference schedule and a six-game nonconference slate.

Milligan opens the season against Faulkner and then heads to the University of the Cumberlands for two games before conference play begins on Nov. 8 against Bluefield.

"We worked hard to get some strong teams on our non-conference schedule," said Greer. "Faulkner, Cumberlands, and WVU Tech are 3 challenging teams who will help our SOS and help us work out some kinks before conference play. We play Alice Lloyd most years and that's become an important non-conference contest for both programs. Last, we will take the whole team to play JV and varsity games in Montana. These will be challenging games and will certainly prepare us for the second half of the conference."

The Buffs host defending AAC regular season champion Bryan on Dec. 9 and travel to the Lions on Jan. 27.

The AAC Tournament will take place Feb. 28-March 2 at the MeadowView Marriott in Kingsport. The top 10 teams in the conference standings advance to the tournament. The AAC has two automatic bids to the NAIA National Championship, with the regular season and tournament champion earning spots in the national field.

"In AAC, of course, Bryan is the team to beat, but with the addition of UPike it could certainly shake things up," said Greer. "There have been many coaching changes in the last two years, there are a few programs that we aren't sure what to expect from and some that have been making big gains in the offseason. It's going to be interesting, no doubt."

Last Word: "This team wants to and can win an AAC Championship," said Greer.