EVANSVILLE — Ben Wierzba valued one attribute in building his first roster as the University of Evansville women’s basketball coach: a willingness to compete.
It was necessary due to the truncated offseason — Wierzba wasn’t officially introduced until April 24 — and the nature of the transfer portal. With nearly four weeks of summer workouts complete, the first-year coach is confident he is identifying that skillset as the building block for this group.
Another necessity in rebuilding the program.
Evansville had only four players return after reaching the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship to pair with nine newcomers. The Purple Aces last finished with a winning record in 2008 and haven’t finished over .500 in the Valley since 2014.
“Very proud of the energy and effort they’ve given us,” Wierzba said. “We’re able to coach details. They have picked up very quickly on what we’re trying to do. We’ve gotten through a lot more than I thought we would at this point.”
UE lost most of its offensive and defensive production from last season, notably All-MVC Second Team guard Camryn Runner. Nine left in the transfer portal including all five starters from the championship game against Murray State. Those who chose not to leave have been key in the transition period.
Junior guard Avery Kelley (8.0 points per game) is cleared after missing most of last season with a knee injury. Junior guard Kaiden Kreinhagen already has 57 career appearances for the Aces. Senior forward Mireia Mustaros (4.7 ppg) and sophomore guard Daniela Llavero also figure to play important minutes this winter.
All four were involved with helping Wierzba bridge the gap after Robyn Scherr stepped down in March.
“Those four, in this day and age, didn’t even go in the portal,” he said. “That tells you what their commitment is to the University of Evansville. It’s my job to put good players around them. They love this place. They were involved with recruiting. I can’t say enough about those four.”
Here are Evansville’s departures from last season
Who are the newcomers?
What stands out is youth with eight underclassmen listed. Wierzba found sucess in the freshman class, either from a production standpoint or athleticism. Nori Jamison and Jayden Scott were 1,000-point scorers in high school. Kelyn Johnson led Benson Polytechnic to a trio of top-four finishes in the OSAA State Tournament. Casey O’Connell won a state championship at Country Day and remained signed through the coaching change.
Only Marina Artero (91 career games) checks the box of Division I experience among the newcomers.
“We are very young,” Kelley said. “But there is a lot of potential in this gym. There’s hard work and great energy every day. We’re definitely going to surprise some people. (The new coaches) go hard. They’re not afraid to yell at you, but they care a lot. They’re here to win. That’s all they want out of this team.”
Other offseason notes on the Purple Aces
Wierzba’s first coaching staff wasn’t announced until June with three assistants and one graduate assistant.
Susie Gardner: Over 30 years of collegiate experience with her most recent stop at Florida. Was the winningest head coach in Mercer women’s basketball with 247 victories and four NCAA Tournament apperances from 2010-24. Also a previous head coach at Arkansas (2003-2007) and Austin Peay State (1997-2003).
Darion Hutchinson: Nearly a decade of collegiate coaching experience. Spent the last two seasons at Indianapolis. Was the director of basketball operations and video coordinator at Northern Iowa from 2019-24 and at Indiana State from 2017-19.
Style Harper-Estill: A mix of collegiate and high school coaching experience. Was an assistant at Defiance Unviersity following several years at the prep level. Was previously the head coach at Saint Ursula Academy and Western Hills in Ohio.
Amber Scalia: The lone grad assistant on staff. Helped Miami (Ohio), where Wierzba was an assistant coach, to the MAC regular season and tournament championships last year. MAC Tournament MVP. Scored over 1,000 career points in three years at St. Thomas University.
“I think we did a good job of doing the background work of making sure we got the right type of kids that wanted to be here,” Wierzba said. “Where we are for Day 19 from Day 1 is night and day. They want to be coached. They want to be pushed. That’s what we’re doing with them.”
The Aces also announced their non-conference schedule on Tuesday. It includes trips to Kentucky and Illinois. The full slate is as follows:
Kyle Sokeland is a sports reporter for the Courier & Press. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @kylesokeland or email at kyle.sokeland@courierpress.com.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: A look at new Evansville women’s basketball team for 2026-27 season
Reporting by Kyle Sokeland, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Kyle Sokeland, Evansville Courier & Press | USA TODAY Network
