Eater Digest - Women's Basketball - November 2022

STORYLINES

BIG WEST DOMINANCE

Since 2017-18, the Anteaters have averaged 17 wins per season. Their 87 total victories over that span mark the program’s best five-year stretch since 1980-85. The ‘Eaters have also been one of the toughest teams to face in The Big West over the last couple years as they own a league-leading 25-8 regular-season conference record, and made back-to-back appearances in the tournament final.

STILL HUNGRY

UCI welcomes back eight letterwinners from a 2021-22 squad that set a program record with 14 conference victories and tied a 37-year old school record with 21 overall wins. UC Irvine also advanced to The Big West championship game for the second year in a row and earned the program’s first postseason WNIT bid. Senior Naomi Hunt is the Anteaters’ top returner after averaging 7.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists last season. Also back are 2022 Big West All-Freshman Team selections Hunter Hernandez and Olivia Williams, along with Nikki Tom, Déja Lee, Amelia Scharpf, Caiyle Kaupu and Tarryn Ross.

NEW FACES

The ‘Eaters bring in four NCAA Division I transfers in 2022-23. Junior Diaba Konate is a point guard out of Idaho State where she averaged 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals in her three seasons with the Bengals. UCI also adds some size with three post players in junior Nevaeh Dean (Cincinnati), graduate student Nyagoa Gony (Purdue) and junior

STAFF SHUFFLE

UC Irvine will also have a couple new faces on the sidelines. Head coach Tamara Inoue and associate head coach Cecilia Russell-Nava both return for their seventh year, while Derek Wynn, Tyler Ellis, Cassie Klockgether and Nisma Ali round out the staff. Wynn comes to UCI as an assistant with two decades of collegiate coaching experience. He had previous stints at the University of Washington, Long Beach State, USC and Pepperdine. Ellis, who spent the last three seasons as UC Irvine’s Director of Women’s Basketball Operations, has also been elevated to assistant coach. Cassie Klockgether will fill the DOBO role and Nisma Ali will serve as the Director of Administration in their first season with the Anteaters.

CLOSING IN ON THE CENTURY MARK

Seventh-year head coach Tamara Inoue is eight wins away from reaching 100 in her career. The 2021 Big West co-Coach of the Year has already made her way up to No. 2 on UCI’s all-time wins list with 92 victories. Since her arrival on campus in 2016-17, Inoue wasted no time in building UC Irvine into a championship contender. After taking over a program that had been through 11 losing seasons in 13 years, Inoue made remarkable progress as the Anteaters increased their win total in each of her first three seasons, highlighted by the second-best turnaround in all of NCAA Division I in 2017-18. She has also led the ‘Eaters to two of the program’s four 20-win campaigns (2018-19, 2021-22).

2022-23 season preview

The UC Irvine women’s basketball team has a slightly new look this year but remains focused on its goal of bringing home the program’s first Big West championship and second conference tournament title. In each of the last two years, the Anteaters finished second in the regular-season standings and were the runners-up at the Big West Championships. Last year, they also tied a school record with 21 overall wins and made UCI’s first postseason WNIT appearance. They return eight letterwinners from that squad, while adding both talent and experience with four incoming NCAA Division I transfers.

“Going to the postseason is an invaluable experience,” said seventh-year head coach Tamara Inoue. “Our returners learned from it and got a taste of it which makes them hungry to keep going after it. also appreciate the transfers coming in, especially for their maturity and understanding of what the team needs. They are here to contribute in any way that will help us win. I believe we are on the right track.”

Nevaeh Parkinson (New Mexico).

After taking over a team that had two winning seasons in 15 years, Inoue brought a renewed energy and mindset that paid off immediately. In her first year with her own recruits, the Anteaters had the second best turnaround in all of NCAA Division with their 18 victories ranking fourth in school history. Since then, they have produced two 20-win campaigns, two national postseason tournament bids and two Big West championship game appearances. Through her first six seasons, Inoue ranks second among UCI women’s basketball’s all-time winningest head coaches.

Last year, Inoue’s squad put together one of the best seasons in program history as they set a school record with 14 conference victories, while tying the overall mark with 21 wins. The ‘Eaters advanced to The Big West championship game for the second year in a row and earned their first WNIT postseason berth. They led the league in both scoring offense (66.5 ppg) and scoring margin (+5.6), and set single-season school records in free throw percentage (76%) and 3-pointers made (224).

In 2020-21, while playing a shortened season in the middle of a pandemic, Inoue continued to forge a path forward for the Anteaters, leading them to a 15-9 overall record and an 11-4 mark in league play. Those 11 wins tied for the conference lead, but UCI finished second in the regular-season standings based on win percentage.

As the No. 2 seed, the ‘Eaters took care of business in the first two rounds of the Big West Championships, defeating UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly to reach the title game for the first time since 1997.

Inoue was recognized for her efforts as she was named the 2020-21 Big West coCoach of the Year, making her just the second coach in program history to earn the honor.

In 2017-18, just her second year as head coach and first with her own recruits, Inoue led the Anteaters to an 18-14 overall record and their first national postseason appearance since 1995. The 18 victories more than doubled their win total from each of the previous three campaigns. The ‘Eaters also saw a 12.5 game improvement from 2016-17, tying for the second-best turnaround in all of NCAA Division I.

UC Irvine, which was picked eighth in the Big West Preseason Poll, placed third in the regular-season standings at 10-6. The Anteaters ended the year ranked first in the league and 13th in the nation with 11.1 steals per outing. Inoue’s group set the

tone for the record-breaking campaign with a thrilling season-opening victory over Utah State. They erased a 13-point deficit over the final four minutes and capped the rally by sinking a half-court shot at the buzzer for an 87-84 win. The game-winning play was featured at No. 1 on SportsCenter’s Top-10 that evening.

In 2018-19, Inoue guided the ‘Eaters to the third 20-win campaign in program history and first since 1984-85. They had their best start ever at 7-0 with the seven consecutive victories tying UC Irvine’s third-longest win streak. Their success did not go unnoticed as the Anteaters made their debut in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll and rose to as high as No. 15 in the nation. UCI went on to make its first appearance in the Big West Championship semifinals in five years.

As a team, the Anteaters finished among the top-25 in the nation in turn over margin (7th), turnovers forced (22nd) and steals (23rd). Individually, Andee Ritter broke the all-time school record in 3-pointers made and steals. She graduated as UC Irvine’s single-game (8), single-season (87) and career (202) leader in threes made.

In 2019-20, the ‘Eaters tied for second in The Big West regular-season standings, which was their best conference finish in Inoue’s tenure at the time. At 9-7, it was the third-straight year they were at or above .500 in league play. Lauren Saiki established a single-season school record with 215 assists, and earned first-team All-Big West honors.

Overall, the Anteaters have received 17 All-Big West nods under Inoue’s watch, while her teams have set or tied single-season school records in wins (21), steals (356), field goals made (825), 3-point field goals made (224), 3-point field goals attempted (727) and free throw percentage (.760). Inoue’s student-athletes have also been successful in the classroom with 23 Big West All-Academic selections, including a program-best six in 2018-19.

Inoue came to

During her tenure as an associate head coach, NM State made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, while capturing the Western Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles both years. The Aggies ended the 2015-16 campaign with a 26-5 overall record, tying the school record for single-season victories.

In 2014-15, Inoue helped New Mexico State to a 22-8 record and a 13-1 league mark. It was the first conference title for the Aggies in 20 years and the first-ever tournament championship for the program. NM State advanced to the NCAA Tournament for only the third time in program history and made its first appearance since 1988.

Inoue joined the New Mexico State staff after a three-year stint as an assistant coach at Santa Clara University. Prior to that, she spent six years playing and coaching in Australia. Inoue’s professional playing career was cut short due to injury, but following rehabilitation she returned to coach in Australia’s Victorian Basketball League (VBL). Inoue earned VBL Coach of the Year honors in 2006-07 with the Nunawading Spectres. She also guided the Knox Raiders to a national championship the following season with a 27-1 record.

Inoue has strong ties to the Orange County area and The Big West as she attended Laguna Hills High School and Long Beach State. In her three seasons at LBSU, Inoue was a two-time All-Big West selection while graduating with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2002.

Inoue prepped at Laguna Hills High School, and was inducted into the Hawks’ Hall of Fame in January 2017. She was a two-time league MVP and garnered USA Today honorable mention All-America recognition as a senior.

Tamara Inoue is in her seventh year at the helm of the UC Irvine women’s basketball program.

Irvine from New Mexico State where she was an integral member of the women’s basketball staff from 2011-16. She spent her last two seasons as an associate head coach and also served as the interim Senior Woman Administrator in 2015-16.

NO. NAME POS HT./WT. YR. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS SCHOOL

1 Tarryn Ross G 5-10 Jr. Garden Grove, Calif. (Orangewood Academy)

3 Nikki Tom G 5-9 So. Fresno, Calif. (Clovis West HS)

11 Amelia Scharpf G 6-0 So. San Jose, Calif. (Archbishop Mitty HS)

13 Déja Lee G 5-9 So. Surrey, B.C., Canada (Semiahmoo Secondary School)

20 Hunter Hernandez G 5-9 So. San Jose, Calif. (Archbishop Mitty HS)

21 Olivia Williams G 6-1 So. South San Francisco, Calif. (Archbishop Mitty HS)

22 Nyagoa Gony F 6-3 Gr. Lincoln, Neb. (Purdue/Lincoln HS)

23 Diaba Konate G 5-7 Jr. Paris, France (Idaho State/Honore D’Estienne D’Orves)

24 Nevaeh Dean F/C 6-2 Jr. Hamilton, Ohio (Cincinnati/Lakota West HS)

32 Nevaeh Parkinson F/C 6-3 Jr. Dallas, Texas (New Mexico/John Paul II HS)

33 Caiyle Kaupu F 6-0 Jr. Holualoa, Hawaii (Konawaena HS)

42 Naomi Hunt F 6-1 Sr. Fullerton, Calif. (Long Beach State/Troy HS)

2 WEBB, Chloe 27-20 641:47 23.8 99-215 .460 10-26 .385 68-86

35 LOCANDRO, Sophia 32-30 708:50 22.2 107-241 .444 3-19 .158 35-52 .673 47 114 161

276

76 0 15 41 31 16 252 7.9

42 HUNT, Naomi 32-31 750:54 23.5 83-251 .331 44-148 .297 19-24 .792 23 85 108 3.4 63 1 33 45 13 29 229 7.2

10 CADEE, Jayde 32-14 658:33 20.6 61-174 .351 51-146 .349 25-28 .893 17 49 66 2.1 46 0 29 12 2 11 198 6.2

20 HERNANDEZ, Hunter 29-2 512:50 17.7 45-121 .372 10-36 .278 41-50 .820 29 63 92 3.2 31 0 25 35 2 14 141 4.9

21 WILLIAMS, Olivia 30-19 535:53 17.9 49-152 .322 13-60 .217 15-15 1.000 24 39 63 2.1 17 0 20 24 5 25 126 4.2

3 TOM, Nikki 33-11 651:21 19.7 40-104 .385 16-51 .314 38-45 .844 45 48 93 2.8 41 1 51 48 4 38 134 4.1

45 DUSHARM, Tara 33-0 345:23 10.5 41-97 .423 0-0 .000 41-54 .759 34 51 85 2.6 47 0 15 21 14 9 123 3.7

33 KAUPU, Caiyle 33-0 197:43 6.0 30-66 .455 3-12 .250 14-17 .824 13 24 37 1.1 36 0 13 19 4 4 77 2.3

13 LEE, Déja 29-3 248:19 8.6 20-65 .308 3-21 .143 20-27 .741 18 13 31 1.1 22 0 12 22 2 28 63 2.2

1 ROSS, Tarryn 5-0 13:43 2.7 2-6 .333 1-3 .333 3-4 .750 0 2 2 0.4 3 0 0 1 1 1 8 1.6

24 KAPINGA, Melodie 30-3 192:48 6.4 16-40 .400 0-0 .000 10-21 .476 31 29 60 2.0 34 0 4 15 6 8 42 1.4

11 SCHARPF, Amelia 23-0 123:03 5.4 9-30 .300 1-5 .200 5-6 .833 9 9 18 0.8 6 0 3 8 3 3 24 1.0

23 BAKER, Victoria 5-0 38:42 7.7 2-5 .400 1-1 1.000 0-1 .000 2 4 6 1.2 6 0 3 2 0 0 5 1.0

Team 72 77 149 17

Total 33 6653 772-2006 .385 224-727 .308 425-559 .760 435 812 1247 37.8 564 5 404 460 103 307 2193 66.5

Opponents 33 6650 712-1850 .385 168-598 .281 415-548 .757 361 832 1193 36.2 579 9 421 548 123 241 2007 60.8

Team Statistics

Team Results

Date Opponent Score Att.

11/09/2021 Westcliff W 114-53 227

11/11/2021 Southern Utah W 81-65 300 11/14/2021 San Diego St. L 60-68 382 11/20/2021 at California Baptist Lot 88-93 651 11/26/2021 Illinois St. W 67-55 277 11/28/2021 Sacramento St. W 58-51 270 12/02/2021 at Southern California L 69-78 507

12/11/2021 San Diego L 64-75 371

12/15/2021 vs San Jose St. W 74-66 231 12/21/2021 at Arizona St. L 52-69 0 12/23/2021 at Grand Canyon L 53-58 486

01/06/2022 UC Davis W 76-59 226

01/08/2022 UC Riverside W 59-53 215 01/11/2022 at UC San Diego W 59-44 0 01/15/2022 Hawaii L 73-77 290

01/20/2022 at Cal St. Fullerton W 75-67 101

01/22/2022 Long Beach St. L 50-62 285

01/27/2022 at CSU Bakersfield W 81-73 339

01/29/2022 at Cal Poly W 64-52 377

UC Santa Barbara W 58-31 267

02/03/2022

02/05/2022 CSUN W 65-52 280

02/10/2022 at UC Riverside W 60-44 75

02/12/2022 at UC Davis L 51-66 462

02/15/2022

COACHING STAFF

Head Coach: Tamara Inoue (7th Season)

Assistant Coaches: Cecilia Russell-Nava , Derek Wynn, Tyler Ellis

Director of Operations: Cassie Klockgether

Director of Administration: Nisma Ali

UC San Diego W 67-50 353

02/19/2022 at Hawaii L 57-67 1171

02/24/2022 Cal St. Fullerton W 54-51 387

02/26/2022 at Long Beach St. W 70-47 606

03/03/2022

Cal Poly W 67-66 412

03/05/2022 CSU Bakersfield W 67-52 489

vs Cal St. Fullerton W 80-68 0

03/09/2022

03/11/2022 vs UC Davis Wot 84-75 0

03/12/2022 vs Hawaii L 48-59 0 03/18/2022 at UCLA L 48-61 1415