Getting off to a great start, the Marquette women's basketball team is like a chemistry lesson. With six new players, four transfers, and two freshmen, it's still working.
"I think we've been working on it ever since they came to campus in June," Marquette Women's Basketball Head Coach Megan Duffy says. "And we were fortunate to go on our foreign trip to Italy and Greece as well. So you had an opportunity when basketball is kind of the least important thing, just to get to know each other more. Learn about each other's families. Maybe even some of the hardships we've all gone through in different ways that have built us into this position we're in now. So, I just couldn't be more thrilled with just the work they're willing to put in."
One of those transfers? Grad student and a four-year player at Lehigh, Frannie Hottinger.
"You do have those moments where you're like, man I feel old!" Marquette Guard/Forward Frannie Hottinger says. "But then you have those moments where you're like, wow this is all new and I feel young. So it's kind of just balancing that but yeah, the other fifth years Claire and Jordan have been a great support for me, having you know, some really great veterans on the team. But I feel like our team is, small and tight-knit."
"Like any great team, you have to have that chemistry on and off the floor," Duffy says. "It just doesn't happen on game day, when we open up. So they're working really hard at it. We challenge them with certain things. We try and put them in situations where they have to figure things out. Just like there will be adversity this season."
This summer the Golden Eagles had a 10-day trip to Italy and Greece. Basketball and bonding worked.
"Normally we would never put in any offense during the summer," Forward Liza Karlen says. "Just work on our concepts, our defensive concepts. But being able to have those 10 practices of two-hour, three-hour practices in the summer? That's huge for our development."
The Marquette women's basketball team already leaped into the Top 25 this season. And after beating legendary UConn last season, the Golden Eagles are soaring again.
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