Rowan women’s basketball season is almost underway, as they will play their first game of the regular season on Friday, Nov. 15, against Salisbury.

This is head coach Kate Pearson’s second season at the helm. After finishing sixth in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) last season, Pearson is expecting there to be an improvement as the team now has more familiarity with each other.

“We learned a lot about each other,” Pearson said. “A lot of it was feeling each other out. I think last year I was trying to blend something Coach [Demitrius] Poles has done and some things that I had done. While I will still do that a little bit this year, I think I will be able to put more of my stamp on the ways we can move this year. I think we will have more of an identity; I think we struggled with identity last year.”

That identity struggle was mostly shown on the offensive side of the ball for the Profs.

“We have some height this year, so we want to get the ball down low and inside this year,” Pearson said. “We also have some guards who can create, so we can play some inside out. I told our shooters to be ready to knock down open shots once they get down inside.”

One of the main reasons the team is expected to have a better offensive identity is because they have more of a grasp of Pearson’s system, one that senior guard/forward Kristina Johnson is looking forward to continuing to grow in.

“Last year it was a new system,” Johnson said. “It was a new coach and a new everything, so coming in this year I am more comfortable with it. We have built a relationship, so it is a lot more exciting.”

The six-foot-three-inch junior Charlotte Carlisle is expected to play a decent amount of minutes at center this year, as former starter Eliana Santana has graduated. Despite Santana’s presence, Carlisle led the team with 39 blocks in the 2023-24 season.

“We are definitely pushing Charlotte to have a breakout year,” Pearson said. “I think last year she was trying to figure some things out. I think the key with her is just building confidence and to have her do more than what she thinks she can do herself.”

Another player who will play a big role offensively is guard Kate Herlihy. The senior was one of the team’s top ball handlers last year, but this time around she is expected to be used in more of an off-ball role.

“She is somebody that can get rebounds and go the length of the court,” Pearson said. “But we would like her to get up the floor and see if we can find her in transition and get her some easy looks. She will definitely create some stuff on the defensive end as well. We still want to keep the ball in her hands, but more so from the wing this time.”

Herlihy is open to this role change, as it will be similar to her sophomore year when she played more off-ball with Grace Marshall and Dakota Johnson leading the charge with the ball in their hands.

“I know coach [Pearson] wants me more off the ball this year because she thinks I work better off the ball, which I agree with,” Herlihy said. “I think I am gonna be the off-ball scorer for sure.”

Herlihy was the team’s leading scorer last season averaging 13.5 points per game, but her ability on the defensive side of the ball was what stood out.

“I want defense to be my number one thing,” Herlihy said. “I think sometimes I can shoot and be really on, but sometimes I can be off. Defense is something I am always consistent with. I definitely want to focus on getting steals and forcing turnovers.”

With Pearson moving Herlihy off the ball, the Profs will need players to replace her with on-the-ball duties. To solve that problem, the veteran coach plans to use a point-guard-by-committee approach.

“We have some new kids we are looking to step into the role,” Pearson said. “Jess McLaughlin is returning as a junior and can take a step in that role. We have a couple of other seniors, such as Reagan Russo, who we know can fill that role. It is going to be game-to-game.”

The team is very veteran-heavy this season, as there are only four freshmen out of 17 players on the roster: Lily Bross, Emily Boulas, Abigail Jazmin, and Adriana Santiago.

“All the freshmen are really talented,” Herlihy said. “[Jazmin] is for sure going to have a big role this upcoming season. I think Lily is great, Adriana is great, Emily is great. I mean, it is really great because we will be losing all the senior guards, so it is great to have four guards coming up.”

With the return of many key players from last year, the NJAC preseason poll ranked Rowan No. 3. They were also the only team to receive first-place votes other than the No. 1 ranked The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).

“Obviously, I think we should be number one,” Herlihy said. “I do not think three is bad, but we will prove them different when we start playing.”

After getting bounced in round one of the NJAC tournament last season, the Profs’ goals are clear for year two of the Kate Pearson era.

“We want to win the NJAC,” Johnson said. “We want to get a playoff game and protect home court. We also want to be the best offensive-rebounding team in the country. We have high expectations.”

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