Louisiana Tech Athletic Communications
RUSTON — With less than a week until tipoff, the Lady Techsters are looking forward to getting to play someone other than themselves.
The season opens on Nov. 6 against LSU-Alexandria, a much-anticipated reprieve from practices that started on Sept. 26.
“I think we’re at that point they’re tired of practice,” head coach Brooke Stoehr said. “They’re tired of going against each other, they’re tired of going against our scout guys. We’ve had two closed scrimmages, and both have been very beneficial to get everyone playing time.”
“So excited about having ten returners, finding our way offensively, working on sharing the ball, moving the ball, and then integrating three new pieces to our roster.”
The Lady Techsters roster of 13 includes 10 returners and three newcomers. With the departure of All-Conference guard Keiuanna Walker, the Lady Techsters will look for others to step up during the 2023-24.
“I don’t think it’s one person,” Stoehr said about who will replace Walker. “I think it’s multiple people, and I think what you’ll find is that we’re more balanced. The great thing about Keiuanna is that we needed a bucket; we could put it in her hands and get her to a spot where she could get to the rim and the free-throw line, or she would score. She just had a natural ability to do that. And so, we will have to do that in some different ways.”
One of the main options the Lady Techsters will rely on is two-time All-Conference forward Anna Larr Roberson. Roberson’s return for her fifth season was a considerable boost in leadership and experience.
Roberson missed time last season due to injury but returns fully healthy for the start of the season. She has played in 105 games with 76 starts during her four seasons in Ruston. The Ruston native enters the season No. 33 on the all-time scoring list with 1,246 points.
Louisiana Tech will look to utilize an inside-out game that will not only feature Roberson but also Kate Thompson and Mackenzie Wurm at the post. Wurm had a breakout season last year on the defensive end with 46 blocks, the fifth most by a sophomore in program history.
“We’re going to play through the paint,” Stoehr said. “You’ll see Anna Larr, McKenzie, and Kate get lots of touches in there. I think because of that, we’re going to get some easier shots because of the attention that Anna Larr is going to draw inside when she catches the ball in there. Other defenders are going to be helping, maybe even doubling, and that opens up other people. I think for us, it’s not going to be one person. It will be multiple people, which could be different people on different nights depending on how we’re being defended.”
Those other options will fall back to the plethora of guards on the Lady Techsters roster. Salma Bates, Robyn Lee, and Silvia Nativi have the experience to step up in big moments for Tech. Combine them with TCU transfer Evie Goetz, freshmen Paris Guilloryand Jianna Morris, and the return of Amaya Brannon from an ACL injury, and you can have one of the most dangerous backcourts in Conference USA.
“I think you’re going to see more scoring from Robin Lee,” said Stoehr. “I think you’re going to see just some movement that we’ve had on the perimeter of being able to insert Jianna Morris, that frees up Salma Bates. Salma’s shooting it extremely well right now and getting her to some open spots to get her three-point shot off because she’s got other people creating for her, I think is one way.”