Lehigh University Athletics
Season Preview: Trusting the Process
11/2/2023 1:41:00 PM | Women's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh women's basketball team might look a little different in 2023-24, but the style of play will remain similar, with just a few tweaks.Â
The Mountain Hawks bring in six newcomers, while graduating five players. This year's team features 15 players in all, with three seniors, five juniors, three sophomores and four first-years. It's a team with depth and players that are versatile.
"This is a group that everyone is going to really like," said head coach Addie Micir. "They're fun to be around. Practices are fun, and they compete. They laugh, and they play with joy. They play to their strengths. We're going to have a different look this year, but similar. There's a lot more people that can do a lot of different things, and everybody is stepping up into new and different roles. You're going to see a more balanced stat sheet."
Whitney Lind, Graycn Lovette, Julianna Ouimette and Jessie Ozzauto are the four first-years Lehigh brought in this season.Â
"When it comes to our first-years, they know nothing but playing hard and competing, " Micir said. "We say this all the time, but first-years tend to pin-point their ways through practice and hit a lot of screens, and they dive on the floor - this group is no exception, but the pace in which they do it is one of the best paces I've seen for a first-year group. They just love to play, and they crash the boards and get after it defensively, and they lean into their strengths on offense. They know what they do best."Â
In addition to Lehigh's four first-years, Lehigh added two transfers in Remi Sisselman and Colleen McQuillen. Sisselman is a guard/forward who played two years at Bucknell. McQuillen is a junior guard from Fordham.Â
"It's pretty unique," Micir said. "We brought in a class of four a couple of times - even five. To add on to that with two transfers is pretty unique, but the COVID years is what provided us to do that. Our biggest thing is no matter if they are transfers or first-years, we want the right people in the program, and we have the right people in the program. The energy that Rem and Colleen bring are contagious - they love basketball and love celebrating their teammates, and they enjoy doing what they do. They've done a great job of showing our first years what learning looks like and how you can be gentle with yourself and still get after it and be you."
On top of the strength with the two transfers, the junior class also has three contributors in Meghan O'Brien, Ella Stemmer and Kaylee Van Eps. All three players have started and played key minutes for the Mountain Hawks.Â
"It's a solid five who have a lot of minutes under their belt," Micir said. "What I'm most excited for is each and every one of them will step into a different role this year in terms of how we can rely on them. A lot of them have been the exclamation point at the end of the sentence. Now we're going to ask them to write the sentence."Â
Not only does Lehigh have strong leadership on and off the court in the junior class, but also the seniors. Maddie Albrecht, Jamie Behar and Fabienne Eggenshcwiler are the three seniors
"It's a class that's been through a lot," Micir said. "They opened up their first-year with covid and were a part of the 2021 Patriot League Championship team. Each of them have had their own journey, and I think that's the strength with that class. They're pretty relatable. Senior leadership is an important part to a basketball team because you have been there and done that, but people won't just follow you because you have been there and done it - you have to actively take a part of it."
Micir said Albrecht is also one of the best athletes at Lehigh.Â
"She's a really skilled basketball player," Micir said. "She has made a huge jump in being assertive this year, and it has made it so fun to watch. I don't think anybody celebrates her harder than her teammates because she is such a likeable human being…She makes plays look effortless.Â
One of the mantras for Lehigh women's basketball as of recent has been to share it and shoot it. This showed in the Mountain Hawks play last season, as they were first in the league in assists per game (15.68). Lehigh also led the league in scoring offense (70.5 points per game).
The Mountain Hawks also like to hunt and shoot the three-point shot. Last season, Lehigh was fifth in the nation in three-pointers made per game (9.3).Â
"Share it and shoot it is always going to be our identity and what we do because the we is a big part of it," Micir said. "We means work and energy. It's about the work we put in and the productivity and the energy we bring."
While the Mountain Hawks soared offensively, they struggled to contain other teams' offenses as they were eighth in the league in scoring defense, allowing 65.6 points per game.
"You're going to see us defensively get after it a little bit more," Micir said. "We are fast. We are physical. We do a really good job of covering for each other, so I expect to see a little more defense on offense this year."
Two of the five players that the Mountain Hawks lost to graduation were reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Frannie Hottinger and first team All-Patriot League honoree Mackenzie Kramer.Â
Hottinger and Kramer were both Lehigh's top two scores last season. Ella Stemmer, Lily Fandre and Jamie Behar were right behind Hottinger and Kramer in scoring.Â
While Lehigh did not have anyone land on the preseason All-Patriot League team, Fandre was one of five rookies last season to land on the All-Rookie team.Â
Fandre had a strong first-year, tallying 209 points. The Minnesota native played in all 31 games with 21 starts. In Lehigh's last game last season, Fandre put up 16 points, which tied her career-high.Â
"Lily is an unbelievable athlete," Micir said. "She can score with her back to the basket, and she can score facing up and bring the ball up if we need her to. She just does a lot."Â
Rounding out the sophomore class are guards Katie Hurt and Kamara St. Paul.Â
With a little bit of a new team and a little bit of a new style of play, the key to this season is to raise the floor.
"What we want to do is get one percent better each and every day, " Micir said. "Focus on the process over the product. We have a really challenging non-league schedule ahead of us, but if we can learn something each game, win or lose, then we're going to prepare ourselves well for Patriot League play, so we want to raise that floor."
Lehigh kicks off the 2023-24 season against East Stroudsburg at Stabler Arena on Monday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. Tickets can be purchased here or by calling 610-7LU-GAME.Â
The Mountain Hawks bring in six newcomers, while graduating five players. This year's team features 15 players in all, with three seniors, five juniors, three sophomores and four first-years. It's a team with depth and players that are versatile.
"This is a group that everyone is going to really like," said head coach Addie Micir. "They're fun to be around. Practices are fun, and they compete. They laugh, and they play with joy. They play to their strengths. We're going to have a different look this year, but similar. There's a lot more people that can do a lot of different things, and everybody is stepping up into new and different roles. You're going to see a more balanced stat sheet."
Whitney Lind, Graycn Lovette, Julianna Ouimette and Jessie Ozzauto are the four first-years Lehigh brought in this season.Â
"When it comes to our first-years, they know nothing but playing hard and competing, " Micir said. "We say this all the time, but first-years tend to pin-point their ways through practice and hit a lot of screens, and they dive on the floor - this group is no exception, but the pace in which they do it is one of the best paces I've seen for a first-year group. They just love to play, and they crash the boards and get after it defensively, and they lean into their strengths on offense. They know what they do best."Â
In addition to Lehigh's four first-years, Lehigh added two transfers in Remi Sisselman and Colleen McQuillen. Sisselman is a guard/forward who played two years at Bucknell. McQuillen is a junior guard from Fordham.Â
"It's pretty unique," Micir said. "We brought in a class of four a couple of times - even five. To add on to that with two transfers is pretty unique, but the COVID years is what provided us to do that. Our biggest thing is no matter if they are transfers or first-years, we want the right people in the program, and we have the right people in the program. The energy that Rem and Colleen bring are contagious - they love basketball and love celebrating their teammates, and they enjoy doing what they do. They've done a great job of showing our first years what learning looks like and how you can be gentle with yourself and still get after it and be you."
On top of the strength with the two transfers, the junior class also has three contributors in Meghan O'Brien, Ella Stemmer and Kaylee Van Eps. All three players have started and played key minutes for the Mountain Hawks.Â
"It's a solid five who have a lot of minutes under their belt," Micir said. "What I'm most excited for is each and every one of them will step into a different role this year in terms of how we can rely on them. A lot of them have been the exclamation point at the end of the sentence. Now we're going to ask them to write the sentence."Â
Not only does Lehigh have strong leadership on and off the court in the junior class, but also the seniors. Maddie Albrecht, Jamie Behar and Fabienne Eggenshcwiler are the three seniors
"It's a class that's been through a lot," Micir said. "They opened up their first-year with covid and were a part of the 2021 Patriot League Championship team. Each of them have had their own journey, and I think that's the strength with that class. They're pretty relatable. Senior leadership is an important part to a basketball team because you have been there and done that, but people won't just follow you because you have been there and done it - you have to actively take a part of it."
Micir said Albrecht is also one of the best athletes at Lehigh.Â
"She's a really skilled basketball player," Micir said. "She has made a huge jump in being assertive this year, and it has made it so fun to watch. I don't think anybody celebrates her harder than her teammates because she is such a likeable human being…She makes plays look effortless.Â
One of the mantras for Lehigh women's basketball as of recent has been to share it and shoot it. This showed in the Mountain Hawks play last season, as they were first in the league in assists per game (15.68). Lehigh also led the league in scoring offense (70.5 points per game).
The Mountain Hawks also like to hunt and shoot the three-point shot. Last season, Lehigh was fifth in the nation in three-pointers made per game (9.3).Â
"Share it and shoot it is always going to be our identity and what we do because the we is a big part of it," Micir said. "We means work and energy. It's about the work we put in and the productivity and the energy we bring."
While the Mountain Hawks soared offensively, they struggled to contain other teams' offenses as they were eighth in the league in scoring defense, allowing 65.6 points per game.
"You're going to see us defensively get after it a little bit more," Micir said. "We are fast. We are physical. We do a really good job of covering for each other, so I expect to see a little more defense on offense this year."
Two of the five players that the Mountain Hawks lost to graduation were reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Frannie Hottinger and first team All-Patriot League honoree Mackenzie Kramer.Â
Hottinger and Kramer were both Lehigh's top two scores last season. Ella Stemmer, Lily Fandre and Jamie Behar were right behind Hottinger and Kramer in scoring.Â
While Lehigh did not have anyone land on the preseason All-Patriot League team, Fandre was one of five rookies last season to land on the All-Rookie team.Â
Fandre had a strong first-year, tallying 209 points. The Minnesota native played in all 31 games with 21 starts. In Lehigh's last game last season, Fandre put up 16 points, which tied her career-high.Â
"Lily is an unbelievable athlete," Micir said. "She can score with her back to the basket, and she can score facing up and bring the ball up if we need her to. She just does a lot."Â
Rounding out the sophomore class are guards Katie Hurt and Kamara St. Paul.Â
With a little bit of a new team and a little bit of a new style of play, the key to this season is to raise the floor.
"What we want to do is get one percent better each and every day, " Micir said. "Focus on the process over the product. We have a really challenging non-league schedule ahead of us, but if we can learn something each game, win or lose, then we're going to prepare ourselves well for Patriot League play, so we want to raise that floor."
Lehigh kicks off the 2023-24 season against East Stroudsburg at Stabler Arena on Monday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. Tickets can be purchased here or by calling 610-7LU-GAME.Â
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