City of Basketball Love

Owen McCue (@Owen_McCue)
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The Jefferson women’s basketball team became very fond of their road trips last season — and the meal stops that came with them.

Chick-Fil-A was a team favorite stop on the way home from road games. Then came some of the mom and pop shops that came along with a trip to Manchester, New Hampshire during a run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Rams would like to add a few more dining stops to places like the 100-year-old Red Arrow Diner in 2022-23. They have their eyes on an even deeper run in the tournament this season and believe they have the pieces back to do so.

“We want to win our conference and get to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament,” sophomore forward Cassie Murphy said last week after an exhibition with Villanova.

“Plus when they go on the road they eat well,” Jefferson coach Tom Shirley quipped. “That’s why they want to win.”

Jefferson sophomore forward Cassie Murphy, right, lines up a shot during an exhibition against Villanova last week at Finneran Pavillion. (Photo: Jack Verdeur/CoBL)

Jefferson went 24-9 last season, including a 13-5 mark in the CACC. The Rams advanced all the way to the CACC title game before falling to USciences in the championship game.

The Rams took down Bentley College in the first round for their first NCAA win since 1998 before ending their season in the second round with a loss to Daemen College.

”We’d been to the NCAA but we got to the second round,” Jefferson coach Tom Shirley said. “We hadn’t been to the second round in a long time. And we beat the queen bee, which is Bentley College out of Waltham, Massachusetts, which has been to 36 NCAA tournaments. We beat them in Manchester, New Hampshire. That was a great win for us, one of the biggest wins of the program for us.”

Shirley isn’t embellishing either. The Rams boss for the last 33 years has been to the second round only two other times in his tenure — the 1997-98 teams and the 1988-89 team’s run to the Sweet 16. 

The Rams’ aspirations of a run past the Sweet 16 would be historic. After experiencing the success they had last season, they also know what it will take.

“It gives us better expectations for ourselves to meet,” Murphy said.

Murphy (13.4 ppg, 5.3 rpg) is one of five starters back for the Rams this season. Junior forward Haley Meinel (14.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg), junior guard Morgan Robinson (8.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 6.0 apg), sophomore guard/forward Sam Yencha (6.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and junior guard Maeve McCann (6.` ppg) all started 25-or-more games. Junior guard Emily Keehfuss (5.9 ppg) also started nine games last season.

Sabria Lytes (7.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg) is the only significant departure from the rotation and she played in just 11 games last season 

“We did lose two girls from last year, but we’re returning a lot of the same girls so we are young but we do have a lot of experience and especially playing late into the season last year,” Murphy said. “Getting that experience and then the experience playing these really good teams in scrimmages and exhibitions before the season starts, I think that’s really good to see who we match up against tougher teams and see if we can take what we learn and take it back to the CAC.”

Jefferson junior guard Morgan Robinson surveys the floor during an exhibition last week at Finneran Pavillion. (Photo: Jack Verdeur/CoBL)

Meinel was last season’s CACC Defensive Player of the Year and she and Murphy were on the All-CACC second team as a sophomore and freshman, respectively. But it will take a well-rounded effort for this team to reach its peak.

“I don’t think we have a 30-pointer,” Shirley said. :”I think at the end of the year, we’re going to wind up with three kids in the teens, somebody with nine, somebody with seven. (Murphy) and Hailey and Morgan should probably be in the teens. I wouldn’t say we have a clearcut MVP, but we have some players who we can’t really live without.”

Jefferson officially tips off its season on Saturday against Molloy but the Rams already played local Division I programs La Salle (scrimmage) and Villanova (exhibition) to get some live action against top competition.

Things are much different from last offseason when Shirley was still trying to figure his group out before many of them saw their first collegiate action.

“The continuity has been good,” Shirley said. “Our starting team is back and we got to the Final 32, so we talk about the Sweet 16, we talk about the Elite 8 with the same group. The continuity from last year to this year was not teaching as much as refreshing more and getting up and down more. 

“We’re trying to run the system that they know because they’ve been running it forever. I think that’s where the continuity lies. We’re more experienced. We’re spending more time on fundamentals. We’re spending more time on shooting.”

The Rams don’t have a single player listed as a senior on the roster, giving their roster a youngish look. However, there is plenty of experience.

McCann, Keehfuss, Robinson and Meinel all played roles on Jefferson’s 2019-20 NCAA Tournament team as freshman and are seniors academically, but with the COVID rules they have an extra year of eligibility.

Jefferson's Maeve McCann, left, drives on Villanova's Maddie Burke during an exhibition last week at Finneran Pavillion. (Photo: Jack Verdeur/CoBL)

Many members of the sophomore class like Murphy were on campus practicing during the canceled COVID season before making their college debuts last season.

“My freshman year was two years ago when we didn’t have the season, and I think that was helpful because we didn’t necessarily waste a year,” Murphy said. “My class was able to all learn the plays and play with the team for a whole year before getting out there and playing in actual games. I think that was very helpful.”

“All of our kids are academically a year older than they are athletically,” Shirley said.

“We’ve got age on our side. We’ve got experience on our side. I think it will pay dividends in our league.”

The Rams were tabbed as the preseason favorites in the CACC South Division, receiving 11 of the 13 votes in the preseason poll. 

Jefferson’s core group could have a chance to play two seasons together if everyone decides to stick around. Murphy and Shirley both noted the bond amongst the team is already something special given the circumstances and success of their first seasons together.

“I just think we have really great chemistry, not only on the court but off the court,” Murphy said. “Us being so close, we’re able to bring that to playing with each other and everything. That helps us trust each other and get better together.”

The hope is that translates into a deep tournament run or two … and a few new restaurants to try.