Returning after a 13-13 finish to last season, the Suffolk University women’s basketball team looks to bounce back with a young core hopeful to establish names for themselves and earn the program its 30th straight postseason appearance.
Long term staples of the team, like 1000-point club member Amanda DeAngelis, have moved on from the team. Though the team has no seniors this season, they still face the prospect of two early graduations: Delaney More and Allison Bono.
Last year’s captain Maddie Stewart along with forward Colby Guinta have also departed the team, leaving the team without many of their top scorers.
The team looks to mostly be composed of freshmen and junior players, leaving a lot of room for new players to take over where DeAngelis, Stewart and Guinta left off.
According to junior guard Olivia Verdile, she and her teammates are ready to take over and fill those shoes.
“I think there’s a few girls on the team who’ve put a lot of effort in over the summer knowing we were going to have all those losses and knowing we have a chance to step up,” said Verdile. “It’s a great opportunity for other people to step up and shine.”
With three top scorers no longer on the team, an interesting part of this team will be to see how their playstyle evolves with such a young roster.
“We have very new dynamics on our team this year, so I’m very excited to get those into real games,” said Verdile.
There might be big shoes to fill from those who departed the team, but winning remains the ultimate goal of this team.
Head coach Ed Leyden insisted he wants to see this team scratch and claw their way to wins. The team might be young, but he wants to see them play fierce, yet respectful basketball.
“Our identity has been the same, we want to come out and fight for games. We respect the other team but we’re going to play really solidly,” said Leyden.
Leyden noted that he sees a lot of potential in his squad as they look toward the 2025-26 season.
“They’re intelligent and nice people. I’ve been fortunate. This group is not only smart but they have a real affection and respect for each other,” said Leyden.
Verdile talked a little bit about this team’s closeness and believes that it’s one of the keys for a successful basketball team.
“We’re emphasizing the culture, having a fun environment. With positive energy and the culture around that, success will come with that. The biggest thing is to stay together,” said Verdile.
In particular, Leyden has been impressed with the work ethic of this team so far. In particular, Leyden highlighted junior guard Ava Thurman as someone whose work ethic stood out so far.
Thurman talked about how wanting this team to succeed has been a big motivator in keeping her in the gym to work on her game.
“It’s crucial for me as well as the team to build my self-confidence back up. My hard work will hopefully pay off. My main goal is to get better for the team’s sake because I know we all want to win this year,” said Thurman.
Last season met its unfortunate end at the hands of Roger Williams University in the first round of the playoffs. Despite a hot start to the game which saw Suffolk take a double-digit lead, a rough third quarter turned out to be too much to come back from.
With a new season comes a clean slate, and according to Thurman this team is ready for what comes next.
“I think we’re going to have more even scoring this year and everyone’s been working hard,” said Thurman. “We just have to keep our heads in it and not think too much about last year, and think about all we have to look forward to this year.”
Leyden emphasized that one of the big things he’s prioritizing this year is team defense.
So far through the practices he’s run with the team, Leyden noted that this year’s team seems exceptionally close-knit, which can make them a particularly interesting squad to watch as the season goes along.
He praised the coachability of this year’s team and believes this team has bought into the pride of being a Suffolk Ram.
“One of the phrases we use is learn to listen and listen to learn,” said Leyden. “They’ve made a real effort to get along with each other and build a team spirit.”
With a new season comes a clean slate and time will tell if Suffolk can pull off another magical playoff run.
“Every year’s a new year. This is the fun part of college basketball. We want to take it one game at a time and battle like hell,” said Leyden. “They know it’s important to be coachable and push each other in practice.”
Leyden invited Suffolk students to come to games and experience how much fun women’s basketball can be to watch.
“Give it a chance,” said Leyden. “People are waking up to the quality of women’s basketball. I think if people come to the games they’ll see a team that fights like hell, that plays the game the way it’s meant to be played.”
The women’s basketball season starts at 7 p.m. in the Ridgeway Gym, Nov. 7, against Rivier University. Admission is free.
