City of Basketball Love

CoBL Staff (@hooplove215)

—

(Ed. Note: This article is part of our 2023-24 season coverage, which will run for the six weeks preceding the first official games of the year on Nov. 6. To access all of our high school and college preview content for this season, click here.)

~~~

There is Philadelphia basketball talent everywhere in the country.

Dozens of Philly-area ballplayers are spread around Division I women’s rosters heading into this season, 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 you 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 alumni into a three-part list, the whole thing way too big to run all at once. Here’s Part 2 of our 2023-24 CoBL girls alumni roundup, featuring around 25 players who are on a Division I roster this season.

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

~~~

2023-24 Alumni Roundup: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |

~~~

Jaye Haynes (Sr. | Monmouth)
After three seasons at La Salle, the Germantown Academy product is hoping for a fresh start at Monmouth, where she has two years of eligibility remaining. The 5-foot-8 guard averaged 8.1 ppg and 3.3 rpg in a starting role as a sophomore for the Explorers but saw her minutes drop from 25.4 to 16.3 and her output to 3.7 ppg as she only started two games in 30 appearances as a junior.

Zamara Haynes (Sr. | Maryland-Eastern Shore)
Listed as a senior though she’s playing just her third year of college hoops due to the pandemic, Haynes averaged 11.1 ppg as a junior for UMES, starting 18 of the 29 games she played in. The 5-7 Imhotep Charter product scored a season-high 24 points against James Madison, then scored in double figures in eight straight later in the season.

Diamond Johnson (Jr. | Norfolk State)
The former Neumann-Goretti guard is making a statement by finishing out her college career at Norfolk State, having proven in three years at Rutgers (2020-21) and NC State (2021-23) she can star at the high-major level. Last year, the 5-5 Johnson averaged 12.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 3.5 apg, though she was limited to 22 games due to injury. She enters her fourth year of college with 995 points to her name. 

Nia Jordan (Sr. | Bethune-Cookman)
A 6-1 forward from Neumann-Goretti, Jordan bounced around in her first few years of college hoops, going from New Orleans to Buffalo, deep on the bench at both spots. She settled at B-C last year, where she became a full-time starter while putting up 7.8 ppg and 4.8 rpg, and now returns for her senior year, where she’ll try to build on three double-doubles and a career-high 19 points.

JoJo Lacey (Sr. | Boston College)
Lacey jumped into a major role last season after two years as a deeper reserve for the Eagles. The 6-1 wing out of the Westtown School started all 33 games last year and played more than 30 minutes per game, averaging 10.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 2.1 apg; she topped out with 22 points against Boston University but also had a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double against Miami. 

Izzy Larsen (Sr. | Northeastern)
Larsen has been a steady member of the Northeastern rotation for all three seasons. The 6-1 Archbishop Wood product has played an average of 9.7 minutes in 72 career games; as a junior, she made 23 appearances, averaging 1.8 ppg and 2.0 rpg. 

Helena Lasic (Soph. | Penn)
A 6-4 post out of the Westtown School, Lasic came off the bench in four games last season, scoring a total of four points in 17 minutes. Playing time in the front court might be tough to come by for one more season.

Paige Lauder (Sr. | Columbia)
Lauder went from playing a total of 68 minutes as a sophomore in 2021-22 to a significant reserve role for the 28-win Lions, averaging 6.1 ppg and 4.0 rpg (in 13.2 minutes per game), while shooting 53.8% overall and 47.9% from 3-point range. Lauder, who still has two years of eligibility left, went for a career-best 24 points in just 13 minutes against Marist, thanks to a 5-of-6 showing from 3-point range, with five boards and two assists. 

Molly Manion (Jr. | Merrimack)
After redshirting her first collegiate year, the West Chester Henderson grad played in 19 games last year with five starts, averaging 1.2 ppg and 1.2 rpg. A 5-11 wing, Manion saw 20-plus minutes in six straight games in November and December but didn’t play after the first half of February. She’s listed as a junior but is really a redshirt sophomore by eligibility.

Molly Masciantonio (Gr. | La Salle)
Though she started at D-II Holy Family, the Archbishop Carroll grad has shown she absolutely belongs at the Division I level as the Explorers’ starting point guard each of the last two years. The 5-10 Masciantonio had the nation’s best assist-to-turnover ratio last year (4.72:1), turning it over only 25 times in 26 games. She averaged 6.0 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.6 rpg and 2.1 spg, hitting that steals number for the second season in a row.

Dakota McCaughan (Sr. | UNC-Asheville)
The 5-5 Ridley grad has found a second home in the Big South Conference, splitting her collegiate years between league rivals South Carolina-Upstate and UNC-Asheville. After playing in 34 games with 11 starts at Upstate, she saw action in 31 contests (five starts) last year, averaging 6.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg and 1.8 apg, with a season-high 18 points … against USC-Upstate. 

Maeve McErlane (Soph. | DePaul)
Two separate injuries limited McErlane to just 13 games (with one start) as a freshman; she was seeing big minutes in January after her first absence, playing 30-plus in some games, but only between 5-10 in six games in February and March after her second time on the sidelines. For the season, the 5-10 Academy of Notre Dame grade averaged 1.2 ppg and 1.5 apg in 14.0 minutes per game.

Laine McGurk (Fr. | Drexel)
The centerpiece of West Chester Rustin’s success the last few years, including a District 1 Class 5A title and PIAA state semifinal appearance as a senior, McGurk brings her high-scoring act (23.3 ppg as a senior) to Drexel. The 5-10 guard is used to having to create her own shot from all over the court, but she’ll have more talent around her than ever before.

Mandy McGurk (Gr. | Fordham)
Due to the Ivy League’s eligibility rules, McGurk has to do her grad year at Fordham after four years (three seasons) at Penn. The 5-6 Academy of Notre Dame grad improved her output each year at Penn, averaging 8.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.8 apg and 1.7 spg while starting all 29 games last year. She scored a career-high 28 points against Brown, one more than she had against Harvard. 

Clare Meyer (Soph. | Dartmouth)
A 6-3 forward from Germantown Friends, Meyer played in 25 games as a freshman with six starts, averaging 4.1 ppg and 2.2 rpg in 14.0 minutes a game. She went off for a season-high 17 points against Brown, grabbing seven rebounds in 26 minutes, one of three times she scored in double figures that season (including 10 points in their other matchup with Brown).

Paige Mott (Sr. | Northwestern)
Mott had her best season yet in her junior year at Northwestern. The 6-1 Abington Friends grad, whose parents both played Division I and pro ball, averaged about 3.5 ppg in her first two seasons but jumped up to 8.9 ppg and 4.4 rpg in her junior year, shooting a career-best 52.7% from the floor as she played in 30 games with 25 starts. 

Brooke Mullin (Gr. | Drexel)
The Neshaminy product’s heading down Lancaster Avenue after four years at Villanova to finish her college career up at Drexel, where she’ll bring a much-needed dose of experience to the young Dragons. The 5-11 guard and defensive specialist played in 124 games with 89 starts for the Wildcats, averaging 3.5 ppg, 3.5 apg and 2.7 rpg as a senior on ‘Nova’s Sweet 16 squad.

Kaliyah Myricks (Jr. | Georgetown)
Part of a deep Hoya frontcourt, the 6-2 George School alumna doubled her games played from freshman to sophomore year, coming off the bench in 31 contests (11.1 minutes per game). Though her scoring output didn’t change much, going from 1.3 to 1.4 ppg, she went from shooting 5 of 23 (21.7%) as a freshman in 15 games to 20 of 41 (48.8%) as a sophomore. 

Grace O’Neill (Soph. | Drexel)
The Archbishop Carroll product jumped right into the lineup at Drexel, starting all but one game her freshman year and averaging 7.0 ppg, a team-high 5.1 rpg and 1.8 apg on 42.3% shooting (35.1% from 3). A 5-7 guard, O’Neill scored in double figures eight times, including a pair of 19-point, six-rebound efforts against Towson and Hampton in January, earning her a spot on the CAA All-Rookie Team.

Kaitlyn Orihel (Jr. | Villanova)
Orihel’s carved out a solid reserve role for ‘Nova in her first two years, the 5-10 Archbishop Wood grad playing 14.1 minutes per game in 69 appearances. She averaged 3.0 ppg as a sophomore, slightly below her average from the year before, but her shooting percentage rocketed from 36.4% to 43.8% as she was much more efficient with her touches.

Lucy Olsen (Jr. | Villanova)
The 5-9 lead guard from Spring-Ford took a step forward to be Villanova’s clear No. 2 option alongside Maddy Siegrist as a sophomore, going from 7.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.7 apg as a freshman to 12.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.4 apg as a sophomore. She was terrific in Nova’s Round of 32 win over Florida Gulf Coast, scoring a career-high 23 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists, one of two double-doubles she had on the season.

Maggie Pina (Gr. | Northwestern)
After a standout four years at Boston University, Pina’s finishing her collegiate career at Northwestern as a grad transfer. The 5-7 Academy of Notre Dame product, who played field hockey last spring for good measure, has 109 games (94 starts) under her belt and a career 8.6 ppg average on 34.4% from 3-point range. She averaged 9.4 ppg and was 51 of 136 (37.5%) from deep as a senior.

Sanaa Redmond (Jr. | Rider)
The Shipley School product is returning closer to home after spending her first two years of college at Samford, where she got plenty of on-court experience. The 5-6 point guard started 38 of 53 appearances, averaging 4.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 2.3 apg as a sophomore while shooting 40.4% from the floor but only taking about four shots per game. 

Jaylah Robinson (Soph. | Arizona State)
After tearing her ACL going into her senior year of high school, Robinson has struggled to stay healthy; she missed her whole senior year, played just one minute as a freshman at Arizona State and now will miss the entire 2023-24 season for medical reasons. The Mastery Charter North product was Public League Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2019-20.

Tamiah Robinson (Jr. | Louisiana-Lafayette)
It’s been quite the journey for the West Catholic grad, who spent two seasons at Labette Community College (Kan.) before going to Utah State for her junior year, averaging 9.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.8 apg and 1.4 spg in 30 games (25 starts) for the Aggies. Now Robinson is at ULL, where she’s still got two years of eligibility remaining (hence the junior designation) as she joins a Rajun Cajuns’ squad coming off a 16-15 (10-8 Sun Belt) season.