City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)
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(Ed. Note: This article is part of our 2022-23 season coverage, which will run for the six weeks preceding the first official games of the year on Nov. 9. To access all of our high school and college preview content for this season, click here.)
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As always, Philadelphia basketball is everywhere.

Year after year, dozens and dozens of Philly-area ballplayers are spread around Division I rosters, from East Coast to West Coast, North to South, low-major to high-major and everywhere in between. Each fall, CoBL rounds up all of those local prospects to update our readers on how their careers are going and what’s expected of them in the year to come.

We’ve split the area’s D-I alumnae into a two-part list; here’s Part 2 of our roundup, featuring more than 25 local products who are currently on Division I rosters. (CLICK HERE for Part 1)

(If we’re missing someone, let us know: cityofbasketballlove@gmail.com)

Mandy McGurk (Sr. | Penn)

We closed Pt. 1 with one Notre Dame alum in Maeve McErlane and open it with another in McGurk, who went from a little-used freshman to a junior starter in the course of one pandemic. A 5-foot-6 guard, McGurk started 17 of 22 games she played last year for the Quakers, averaging 4.9 ppg and 2.3 rpg; her career high was the 17 points she scored against D-III Kings (Pa.), but she also scored 12 against Villanova, then settled into a more complementary scoring role as the season wore on. The Quakers did graduate a few starting seniors, so don’t be surprised to see McGurk hit double figures more often as a senior.

Clare Meyer (Fr. | Dartmouth)
The Dartmouth staff added some size this offseason in Meyer, a first-team All-Friends’ League Selection as a senior at Germantown Friends. The 6-3 center averaged 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.2 blocks per game as the Tigers went 22-5 last season, the most wins in program history. An athletic post with good length and the ability to put the ball on the floor, Meyer should be a nice presence for a team that allowed opponents to win the rebound battle and shoot better than 40% from the floor last year.

Paige Mott (Jr. | Northwestern)
A 6-1 forward out of Abington Friends, Mott has played in 53 games in two years at Northwestern, with all 16 of her starts coming as a freshman; despite that, her numbers didn’t waver much from year-to-year. She averaged 3.4 ppg and 2.4 rpg in just about 15 minutes as a sophomore, her best outing an eight-point, nine-rebound showing in 25 minutes against Temple. Mott’s got hoops in her blood: her mother, Andrea Garner, played at Penn State and in the WNBA, while her father Terquin Mott played at La Salle and Coppin State and for several years overseas.

Brooke Mullin (Sr. | Villanova)
Mullin jumped right from Neshaminy into a key role at Villanova, where she’s played in 87 games with 52 starts in the course of her career, which she could extend for another season beyond this one if she wants due to the COVID pandemic. Her junior year was her best yet, the 5-11 guard setting new personal bests in minutes (27.2), points (4.8), rebounds (2.8) and assists (2.4), while also going from six steals as a sophomore to 31 as a junior. Buzz around ‘Nova is that Mullin might see her scoring average pop up quite a bit this season, a flash of the 1,300-point scorer she was in the Suburban One League.

Kaliyah Myricks (Soph. | Georgetown)
The first-ever Division I girls’ basketball scholarship player in the George School’s history, Myricks got into 15 games in her first year at Georgetown, including a pair of starts, averaging 1.3 ppg and 1.9 rpg; her best game saw her score six points and grab five rebounds in 22 minutes against Marquette. A 6-2 forward, Myricks averaged 17.0 ppg and 12.0 rpg during her senior year at George, earning PIAA Class A First Team honors. 

Grace Niekelski (Soph. | Dartmouth)
Niekelski’s debut season in the Ivy League was a successful one, as she got eight starts amongst her 19 appearances, averaging 4.4 ppg and 2.1 rpg. The best outing for the 6-0 forward out of Mount St. Joseph’s came early on in a 16-point game against Holy Cross, though she also had 11 points and eight rebounds against Drexel. An all-state selection during her years at MSJ, Niekelski will try to help Dartmouth emerge from the basement of the Ivy League after a 3-23 (2-12) season, the first under head coach Adrienne Shibles.

Taylor O'Brien (Gr. | Florida State)
O’Brien’s finishing up her collegiate career at Florida State after spending four years at Bucknell, during which she became one of the top mid-major players in the country. The 5-9 guard out of Plymouth Whitemarsh averaged more than 16 ppg each of the last two seasons, and is a three-year starter with 102 Division I games under her belt. During her senior year, she put up career bests in points (16.7/game) and rebounds (6.5/game), adding in two steals, while shooting 41% overall and 33.7% from 3-point range. 

Grace O’Neill (Fr. | Drexel)
The point guard role at Drexel has been filled the last five years by one Catholic League product, O’Hara’s Hannah Nihill, but the dynamic guard’s finally exhausted her eligibility. Now it’s almost certainly going to be O’Neill, an Archbishop Carroll guard, who supplants her. O’Neill is a 5-7 point guard who’s got the ball on a string and brings many of the same qualities to the floor that Nihill did in leading the Dragons to win after win, a first team all-PCL selection who led the Patriots to an unbeaten Catholic League regular season and spot in the PCL title game.

Kaitlyn Orihel (Soph. | Villanova)
Our first Archbishop Wood product in this part of the roundup — though certainly not the first out of all the alumnae — is Orihel, who’s expecting a bump in production in her second year at Villanova. The 5-10 guard and former PIAA 4A State Player of the Year (2020-21) played in all but one game as a freshman, averaging 3.3 ppg, the most of any player on the roster who wasn’t in the starting lineup at any point in the season; she shot 36.4% overall and 90.9% (30-33) from the foul line, adding in 1.6 rpg as well. She might still be coming off the bench this year, but expect an enhanced role for her in the offense, with an even bigger jump coming next season.

Lucy Olsen (Soph. | Villanova)
Olsen wasted no time in making her presence felt on the Main Line, the Spring-Ford alum and 5-9 point guard jumping right into a starting role with the Wildcats as a true freshman, and putting up some terrific numbers. Olsen averaged 7.0 ppg and 2.7 rpg, but it was her 89 assists (2.7/game) against just 38 turnovers — a 2.3:1 ratio, which would have been in the top 25 in the country if she had qualified (NCAA leaderboards require at least 3.0 apg). Olsen, who finished her HS career one tally shy of 1,700 points, will be counted on to be more of a double-digit scorer as a sophomore.

Marianna Papazoglou (Soph. | Penn)
Papazoglou put her stamp down as the best to ever come through Wildwood Catholic (N.J.): a four-year captain, the program’s all-time leading scorer (1,768 points), four-time all-league selection, all-state as a senior, a stat-stuffing 5-10 wing guard with plenty of college options. She chose Penn, where as a freshman last year she made 14 appearances with one start, averaging 1.8 ppg and 1.4 rpg, topping out with six points against Memphis and 21 minutes against Bucknell.

Maggie Pina (Sr. | Boston University)
What else could Pina accomplish in her four years at Boston U? She’d already won Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors in 2019-20, been a three-year starter for the Terriers, become one of the leaders for the squad. But then the Academy of Notre Dame product decided she missed playing field hockey, so she suited up this fall and appeared in nine games. Now it’s back to the hardwood, where Pina is one of five seniors and five returning starters (not the same five) for a squad picked atop the Patriot League in its preseason poll. 

Kaylene Smikle (Fr. | Rutgers)
The reigning Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year, Smikle comes to Rutgers after finding plenty of success at the Westtown School, leading the Moose to both Friends’ Schools League and PAISAA championships as a senior. A 6-0 wing from Farmingdale, N.Y. (out on Long Island), Smikle scored 28 points in the state’s independent schools championship game despite dealing with some foul issues as Westtown captured the state title for the first time with a one-point win over Penn Charter. Now she joins a storied Rutgers program with a new head coach in Coquese Washington, who has to follow up Hall of Famer C. Vivian Stringer as the Scarlet Knights’ boss.

Bella Runyan (Jr. | Villanova)

A local product in the Big 5 with a famous name, Runyan is headed into her third season as a significant contributor for Villanova, and thanks to the COVID year she’s still got three years of eligibility remaining (including this one). The athletic 5-11 wing from Moorestown Friends and daughter of former Eagles tackle Jon Runyan has played almost exactly the same amount (22.2 mpg) in both of her seasons, averaging 3.6 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 1.9 apg as a sophomore in a defensively-focused/glue role, when she started eight of her 33 appearances. Runyan should fill a similar role this season, either as the Wildcats’ fifth starter or sixth woman.

Ava Sciolla (Fr. | Maryland)
The do-everything wing out of Pennsbury is now down at ACC powerhouse Maryland, where she’ll try to break into Brenda Frese’s loaded rotation as a rookie — no easy task. A 6-0 wing guard and daughter of Pennsbury head coach, Sciolla became the fastest girl in Pennsbury history to hit the 1,000-point mark, earning 6A First Team all-state honors as a junior wing, when she helped the Falcons to the second of consecutive Suburban One League championships. While Sciolla is a capable scorer, her best asset is likely her versatility at the ‘3’ spot, able to find different ways to produce depending on matchups and situations.

Sydni Scott (Fr. | Marshall)
The Cardinal O'Hara product was a four time All-PCL selection and a first team all-state selection as a senior last season. She finished her career at O'Hara with 1,137 points. The Thundering Herd lose six of their top seven scorers so minutes should be up for grabs. The 5-8 guard who is really could with the ball in her hands could be in the mix.

Jordan Smith (Jr. | Western Kentucky)
Another junior with three years of eligibility remaining, Smith has played in 36 games at Western Kentucky in her first two collegiate seasons, averaging less than a point and right around one rebound per game thus far. The 5-10 wing out of Abington Friends did set a new career high in points (six) this past season against Florida Atlantic, but the former All-FSL First Team has yet to be a consistent rotation piece for a WKU squad that has quite a bit returning outside of last year’s leading scorer, Meral Abdelgawad (19.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg).

Bella Smuda (RS-Soph. | Liberty)
The tallest alumnae on the list, Smuda’s used her 6-5 frame to her advantage at Liberty, blocking more shots in a season (31) than any LU player in six years, to go along with 4.7 ppg and 4.6 rpg, stats she achieved just in 12.0 mpg in 30 appearances. That was a key reserve role for a Flame squad which went 28-5 (14-2 Atlantic Sun), losing to Jacksonville State in the league championship and bowing out to Vanderbilt in the second round of the WNIT. With 6-2 forward Bridgette Rettstatt (11.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg) graduating, there could be more minutes available for Smuda. Liberty lists Smuda as a redshirt freshman due to the COVID year, but still has an NCAA redshirt season available if something happens (in addition to three years of eligibility). 

Elle Stauffer (Soph. | Harvard)
Stauffer had a solid introductory year at Harvard, playing in 23 games, seeing just under 10 minutes per contest. The 5-11 guard out of Germantown Academy averaged 2.4 ppg and 1.4 rpg, topping out with nine points in a game, which she accomplished twice on the season; her best game was a nine-point, four-rebound, two-assist, no-turnover outing in 20 minutes against Columbia in February. With a couple seniors graduating from last year, Stauffer’s got a chance to move up in the pecking order.

Erin Sweeney (Jr. | Drexel)
A 5-10 guard out of Archbishop Carroll, now one of two Patriots’ alums on the team, Sweeney has played in 16 games thus far in her college career, scoring a total of 14 points and grabbing six rebounds. The former two-time All-Catholic League first teamer has a chance to grab a bigger piece of the pie due to graduation, but some talented freshmen will also be competing for those opportunities at the ‘2’ and ‘3’. 

Ava Therien (Sr. | Loyola Md.)
The middle of three Therien sisters who have played at Loyola — two of whom are still on the roster — Ava Therien is hoping to get back to the form she showed her freshman year, when she averaged 5.0 ppg and 1.8 rpg while playing more than 14 mpg. The 6-2 forward and Cherokee (N.J.) alum missed the 2020-21 season due to a medical issue, and then only played in 13 games a season ago, averaging less than one point and one rebound per outing.

Lex Therien (Soph. | Loyola Md.)
The youngest daughter of the former Philadelphia Flyer got her college career off to a great start, as she started 25 games as a freshman at Loyola. The 2021-22 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, she averaged 12.6 ppg and 10.9 rpg, plus 1.4 spg, earning second team all-conference honors as well; impressively, she had the same number of double-digit scoring and rebounding games (20).A 6-1 forward, Therien topped out at 23 points on three separate occasions, putting up a monster 23-point, 17-rebound game against Colgate in February.

Meliah Van Otoo (Fr. | Loyola Md.)
Joining the Therien sisters as local products on the Loyola roster is Van Otoo, a key part of Westtown’s Friends’ Schools League and PAISAA championship run in the spring. A native of Drexel Hill, Van Otoo is a 5-4 point guard and terrific ball-handler and distributor, though she also scored the game-winning bucket in the Moose’s win over Penn Charter in the state title game. The Greyhounds do have some returning guards back, but coming off a five-win season, it’s likely that spots are very much up for grabs.

Maddie Vizza (Jr. | Northeastern)
Vizza had a strong debut year at Northeastern two years back, averaging 7.0 ppg and hitting 44% of her 3-pointers (40-of-91), but only played in five games a year ago, averaging 3.4 ppg and only going 5-of-19 from deep, getting most of her time during a four-game stretch in January, at which point a knee injury ended her season; it’s unclear whether or not she’ll be able to return, or at what point during the year she could retake the court. The 5-6 guard out of Germantown Academy was a four-year starter in a Patriots uniform, helping them win a PAISAA championship her junior year.

Sydney Wagner (Gr. | William & Mary)
One of the more experienced players in all of Division I hoops, Wagner’s in her sixth and final year of college hoops. A 2017 Spring-Ford graduate, Wagner started her college career at Stetson, then sat out the 2018-19 season after transferring to W&M; throw in the free COVID season, and she’s in her fifth year as a significant piece. A preseason All-CAA First Team pick, the 5-6 Wagner is coming off a year where she averaged 15.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg and 3.2 apg — the latter two of which were career bests — while playing 37.0 mpg. As a junior, she averaged 21.3 ppg while playing a league-only slate of 13 games (38.5 mpg) coming out of the pandemic.

Kylee Watson (Jr. | Notre Dame)
One of the top recruits in the 2020 class, Watson started her college career off at Oregon, where she started 18 games as a freshman (2.2 ppg) and then played in 32 games as a sophomore, averaging 3.8 ppg and 2.4 rpg, with a season-high 21 points in a non-league win over McNeese St. But now the 6-4 junior forward out of Mainland Regional (N.J.) is in the ACC, suiting up for a Fighting Irish squad fresh off a 24-9 season and Sweet 16 appearance. One of four upperclassmen on the roster 6-3 or taller, Watson will be in the mix to help replace Maya Dodson’s 12.6 ppg and 7.3 rpg.

Annie Welde (Fr. | Villanova)
The Welde-to-Villanova pipeline continues, as the Cardinal O’Hara grad becomes the second member of her family to be a student-athlete on the Main Line. Annie’s older brother, James Welde, was a multi-sport standout at Bonner-Prendergast and is now a redshirt freshman tight end on the Wildcats’ football team; Welde was at rival O’Hara and now suits up for Denise Dillon. A 6-0 wing, Welde was a starter on O’Hara’s PIAA Class 5A championship team as a senior, and was a second team all-PCL selection.

Carmen Williams (Soph. | Radford)
A native of Voorhees (N.J.), Williams did her high school years across the river at Penn Charter, where she finished as the sixth-leading scorer in school history, averaging 12.8 ppg and leading the Quakers into the PAISAA championship game as a senior in 2019-20. She then spent a post-grad year at Loomis Chaffee (Conn.), where she averaged 15.6 ppg and caught the attention of the Radford stuff. As a true freshman, the 5-11 guard started half of Radnor’s 28 games, averaging 4.6 ppg and 1.8 rpg, playing 17.9 mpg.