Going into the 2024-2025 basketball season, Florida Atlantic University’s women’s basketball team welcomed eight newcomers, including five freshmen and three transfers. 

The five new freshmen are center Lovisa Asbrink Hose, forwards Emaya Lewis and Alana Rouser and guards Sydney Mains and Erin Rodgers. The three new transfer players are guards Zahira Arizmendi Rubio, Stefanie Ingram and Ta’Ziah Jenks.

“I just really think pushing them [new recruits] to know their potential,” guard Jada Moore said. “We really make them feel welcomed and needed here because we need each and every person that we brought in. So helping them really buy into that and just really lock in on the goals for this season will help us achieve everything we can.”

Moore is entering her senior season with the Owls. Last year, she showcased her talent by reaching 11 new career highs. Moore led the team with 57  assists and scored double-figures 12 times in the season. Her first 20-point game came against the University of North Texas on Jan. 7.

“I want to take big strides and just go for all conferences, any kind of conference team, and just really making sure I go out my last year without any regrets and playing as hard as I can,” Moore said. 

Using her seniority, Moore and guard Mya Perry began building the team environment in the spring. 

“We really started to build our foundation. We created pretty much the environment we wanted all the new people to come into. It was very team-oriented, focusing on our goals, that kind of culture,” Perry said. 

It’s unclear what to expect from the five freshmen with their college basketball debuts, but the three transfer players are coming in with experience under their belt. 

Sophomore transfer, Rubio from Madrid, Spain, is coming to FAU from Middle Tennessee State University. She played in two games for the Blue Raiders, with her college debut on Nov. 9 against Florida A&M University. Rubio had five points and two assists last season. 

Redshirt sophomore Ingram played 28 out of 30 games for the University of Georgia last season. She elected to redshirt for the 2022-23 season and saw no playing time. Her career start came in the Bulldogs season opener against Georgia Southern, where she posted six points, two rebounds and a pair of assists. Throughout last season, Ingram brought in 67 points, 27 rebounds, 29 assists and 26 steals.

Jenks, a redshirt senior from the University of Cincinnati, averaged 17.4 minutes per game and 4.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 32 games last season. She had a season-high 30-minute playing time against Texas Tech University, bringing in 12 points and six rebounds.

“I think everybody brings something that we need, and I think it’ll be good to be able to see when every single piece combines and how we bond on the court. I think everybody is willing to bond and work into it, so I think it’s going to be a good season,” Perry said. 

The new additions and five returning players spent eight weeks this summer doing team retreats and events to immerse themselves into the FAU team culture. 

“That was priority number one, getting the players to know each other. Our goal this year is to make sure that we start and end the season feeling like a family,” head coach Jennifer Sullivan said. 

With so many new players mixed in with the returning players, Sullivan said the team relies on the veterans to set the pace. They spend practices teaching them the terminology and system of the team. They also focus on breaking old habits so that the new team members learn how FAU plays the game. 

“We’re proud to try to bring people that fit well with what we already have. They fit our culture, but also you have to help them with the transition. That was a lot of our eight weeks this summer, helping them acclimate,” Sullivan said.

During practices, Sullivan emphasized their focus on physicality and the game’s pace. They are working on game intensity, including the hitting and banging that players experience from defense. Sullivan has all players prioritizing the weight room to work towards improvement from last season. 

FAU starts their season with an exhibition game on Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. against the University of Fort Lauderdale Eagles. The game takes place on Abessinio Court at the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena. 

Rayne Welser is a contributing writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email her at rwelser2024@fau.edu or DM her on Instagram @_morgan.ray.