CEDAR CITY, Utah - As the leaves change colors and winter begins to set in across the mountainous landscape of Cedar City, Southern Utah University is brimming with excitement as basketball season inches closer to tipoff. The lineup of guards for the Southern Utah University women's basketball team feature a blend of old and new faces, all looking to make an impact for their squad.
Head Coach Tracy Mason Said:
"Our backcourt is anchored with some great leadership and experience. It's a very motivated group that wants to see this team be successful."
Daylani Ballena
The All-WAC Preseason selection is coming off of a career year, starting in all 30 contests while leading the team with 15.6 points per game on the way to an appearance in the first round of the Western Athletic Conference postseason tournament.
Now in her fifth season, Ballena will look to elevate Southern Utah to even greater heights as the squad looks to return to the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Samantha Johnston
Sharpshooter Samantha Johnston enters the 2024-25 season hungry for more. The graduate student, now in her fifth year with the team, is coming off of a season where she averaged a career-high in points, rebounds, and assists to go along with 33% from beyond the arc.
With a privy of young talent now on the roster, Johnston will look to lead the team both on and off the court.
Sydney Gandy
After one season with the Loyola Marymount Lions, the fifth-year senior out of Long Beach, California comes to Southern Utah with a wealth of experience, previously serving as captain for the Idaho Vandals in her first three collegiate seasons.
At LMU last season, Gandy started all 25 games while averaging four points and 3.9 assists per game. Going back to her time at Idaho, Gandy has collected a number of accolades, including Big Sky All-Tournament honors as a freshman and ranking eighth all-time in made three pointers for the Vandals.
Charli Kay
Now in her second year with the Thunderbirds, the Australian native looks to build on a freshman season that included action in 28 games with a season-high 12 points against Northern Arizona.
Prior to her time with SUU, Kay played a season in the Australian National Basketball League for the Launceston Tornadoes, averaging 4.4 points per game in her one season with the club. Her previous professional experience promises to make Kay a valuable asset for the Thunderbirds this season.
Maria Garcia
Hailing from Barcelona, Spain, Garcia enters her second season with Southern Utah after a freshman campaign with 15 games of experience. Now with a year of collegiate basketball under her belt, the Thunderbirds will look to give Garcia a larger role in the upcoming season.
Sierra Chambers
Chambers comes to Cedar City from Danville, California. As a junior, Chambers led San Ramon Valley High School to a 28-5 record and averaged impressive numbers with 12.0 points and 8.2 assists per game.
Head Coach Tracy Mason on Chambers:
"Sierra is a great offensive player, we'll be putting her at the Point Guard position but she'll also be playing a lot at the 2 because of how well she shoots the ball."
Kortney Doman
Coming out of Crane, Oregon, Doman joins the Thunderbirds after a decorated career at Crane High School. In her four years with the Mustangs, Doman led Crane to an impressive 101-3 record that included three state championships. Doman also collected many personal achievements, including being named to the All-State team four times and securing back-to-back Player of the Year awards.
Tracy Mason on Kortney Doman:
"Kortney is very athletic, a great defender and is very versatile. One of the things that stuck out to me initially was how well she fit into the flow of our offense, she's going to be excellent for us this year."
Bella Hasan
Hailing from Mukilteo, Washington, Hasan comes to Cedar City as the most decorated player in Kamiak High School history, setting the record for most points in a game (40), season (633), and career (1,514).
In her time as a Knight, Hasan also saw great individual success, being named First Team All-League and the Washington 4A League MVP as a senior.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale now! Thunderbird fans will get their first look at the team as they take on the Ottawa University Spirit in an exhibition on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. MT. Southern Utah will host their first official home game on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 2:00 p.m. MT against Idaho and their first Western Athletic Conference home matchup is set for Saturday, Jan. 4 at 2:00 p.m. MT against GCU. For more information and ticket plans, be sure to visit tbirdtickets.com!
Follow Us
For all the latest on Southern Utah women's basketball, follow @SUUWBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and like the Southern Utah Women's Basketball Facebook page.
Donate
To help support Thunderbird athletics consider making a donation today! To learn more about how you can support click here.
