Women’s basketball looks for spot in Cleveland as season enters home stretch

When head coach Glenn Box prepared for the 2024-25 season, he highlighted the importance of player development for the Miami University RedHawks women’s basketball team.

Miami returned six players from last year. With a roster boasting seven newcomers, the program needed to build a strong team culture if the RedHawks hoped to improve on their 9-20 record from the 2023-24 season.

So far, the team has achieved this goal. The RedHawks sit at 14-8 (6-5 in conference play), their best start since the 2018-19 season, as they enter the final seven matchups before the 2025 Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament.

Before the season began, Box and his coaching staff, including associate head coach Ben Wierzba, needed to figure out how to fit the three transfers and four first-year players into the Miami culture.

“We were trying to figure out what pieces fit,” Wierzba said. “We had a lot of new faces in here, and [we were] just trying to figure out roles and each person’s strengths and how to put those pieces together. It’s still going along, but I think we’ve come to a point now where we figured out who can do what.”

Through the first few games of the non-conference slate, the RedHawks continued to develop their game plan and figure out each player’s strengths. Graduate student guard Maya Chandler described the offseason as finding the team’s identity and how everyone can work to achieve it.

“We were a brand new team,” Chandler said. “It was everybody’s first time, so it was really about gelling and figuring out where everybody’s gonna be best for us. I think we definitely found that, and we definitely know how to push the pace on offense.”

At the start of conference play, the RedHawks struggled to stay above .500. Following their opening loss to the Ball State University Cardinals, the RedHawks went 4-2 before dropping back-to-back games against the Kent State University Golden Flashes and the University of Toledo Rockets.

Miami’s 4-5 standing in the MAC received a boost when the RedHawks outscored the Ohio University Bobcats 72-34 on One Miami Day. The team proceeded to win its next two games, including a victory over the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns in the MAC-Sun Belt Conference challenge.

A key aspect of the RedHawks’ success has been their late-game comebacks. Miami tied its matchup against Louisiana with less than 15 seconds to go, allowing the team to take an overtime victory and continue its winning streak.

“We’re a pretty tough team,” Chandler said. “We’re hard nosed. We got a lot of girls that are pretty stubborn, [and] it’s hard to beat stubborn kids who want to win, and that’s us. I think we found a lot of our identity in that, just pushing and relying a lot on our defense, especially in tight games.”

Chandler highlighted the team’s defensive identity as another source of Miami’s success. The RedHawks lead the MAC with 262 steals and rank fourth with 64 blocks. Sophomore forward Amber Tretter cracks the top five with 175 total rebounds.

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A strong defense only equates success if the offense can capitalize on opportunities. For Wierzba, a vital improvement for the RedHawks this season has been their ability to stretch the court and their speed.

“That’s the only thing we really tried to get better [at],” Wierzba said. “If you watch our games, when we cause turnovers and we get rebounds, we can get out and run, and when we’re playing fast and the floors open, that’s when we’re really good.”

Miami’s early conference losses were characterized by late-game slips. The RedHawks led the University of Buffalo Bulls 46-39 after three quarters, but Buffalo outscored them 20-5 in the final 10 minutes to take their victory.

Similarly, Miami held a 40-35 advantage going into the final five minutes against the Central Michigan University Chippewas. However, a 12-6 run for Central Michigan culminated in Miami’s second loss in conference play.

“There’s definitely some games where we beat ourselves instead of having the other team beat us,” Tretter said. “We’re looking forward [to] seeing some of them again.”

Miami’s remaining games include three rematches against teams that defeated the RedHawks previously: the Kent State University Golden Flashes (Feb. 15), the Bulls (Feb. 22) and the Chippewas (March 5).

These rematches will be critical for Miami, who sits at fifth in the MAC and holds the same 6-5 conference record as the No. 6 Western Michigan University Broncos.

The RedHawks enter the home stretch of the 2024-25 season with Cleveland in their sights, but the team’s visions stretch beyond the MAC tournament.

“It’s a great accomplishment for the program, for Box and for everybody here,” Chandler said. “It’s a great experience, but it’s also an expectation. We’re not done when we get to Cleveland.”

@thekethan04

babukc2@miamioh.edu