Izzo: Breath of fresh air surrounds Bison women's basketball team

There hasn't been much to cheer about for once was considered one of the crown jewel of Bison athletics. From 2010-2020, NDSU had five seasons where they won less than ten games. The most victories came in 2011 when the Bison won 13 games, Carolyn DeHoff's third season.

DeHoff resigned after the 2014 season and a six win campaign. Maren Walseth's five years were marred with losses and missed opportunities on local recruits. She resigned after a seven win season in 2019.

When athletic director Matt Larsen hired Kansas assistant coach Jory Collins in April of 2019, the program was surrounded by apathy, which is the one spot a team never wants to be.

I heard from more fans that they "just don't care" about Bison women's basketball, which is what Collins faced when he took over.

Collins saw some improvement in his first season as coach, which included a win at the Summit League Tournament, something NDSU hadn't done since 2009. He followed that up with a 15-9 season in the Covid year of 2021 and another postseason win. Big things were expected for 2022.

And then things fell flat. A tough start, injuries to key players and the Bison fell to 11-18 and a sixth place finish in the Summit League.

What followed was a player exodus, including former all-conference player Ryan Cobbins, who was one of Collins' first recruits, who transferred to Alabama. All told, seven players and two assistant coaches left after last season.

I heard from fans, "what's the matter with Collins and the Bison women's basketball team?" The answer: it's modern times in college basketball and player movement has become common.

But there was more to it. Collins told me "there's a certain kind of player we're looking for and we think we're getting close."

Fast forward to this past weekend as Collins saw his team dust both Boise State and Nevada from the Mountain West in capturing the Nugget Classic in Reno to improve to a Division I best 6-0 start.

How did this all come about do you ask? Collins re-tooling of the roster started by getting Lakeville, Minnesota's Taylor Brown to use her final season of eligibility and transfer from American University to NDSU. Brown played over 90 games in the Patriot League, including making the NCAA Tournament last season.

Brown played AAU basketball with Bison standout Heaven Hamling for the Minnesota Stars. Hamling told me in October that their AAU coach got the ball rolling in April and not long after, Brown had committed.

Brown's dad Mark visited with me before the Minnesota game with a huge smile on his face. "I'm not missing a game this year I can tell you that." Brown had a huge game against her hometown Gophers, with a double double, scoring 16 points and 10 rebounds in the landmark win.

Collins also bolstered his roster with a nice recruiting class. Illinois native Elle Evans has a been a difference maker in just six games. The 6-3 freshman has scored in double figures in all but one game so far this year.

She hit the game winning basket in the season opener at Montana and single-handedly took over the game against Northern Colorado. Evans committed to NDSU in October of 2021 and Collins told me there were bigger schools about to get into the mix before she had committed.

Oregon's Abby Graham was one of the top players in the state of Oregon last year. She has provided a spark plug off the bench and adds some tenacity that has been lacking in recent years with this team.

Six games does not make a season. I know that and more importantly, Collins and his team know that. NDSU hasn't played South Dakota State and South Dakota yet either, the two standards of the Summit League, who have dominated the conference for the last decade.

NDSU is 2-30 against the Jackrabbits since 2009. The last Bison win was at Scheels Arena in 2015. Those stats are ugly and there's no denying them.

The win against Minnesota has brought some life into a program that many considered dormant or lifeless. The crowd at the SHAC was one of the best for a women's game in the six years of the history of that building. NDSU followed that up with a come from behind victory over Northern Colorado, a game in past years, simply put, the Bison would not have won.

There are challenges ahead off the court that NDSU has to win. Top recruits in the state ranging from Mandan's McKenna Johnson to Minot's Maggie Fricke already have D-1 offers from South Dakota State and North Dakota. The Bison need to be in the race for them and land one of the state's best players, something that has eluded them for the past ten years.

Collins has made a presence in the ultra competitive Twin Cities recruiting world, getting commits from Wayzata, Centennial and Maple Grove. That pipeline needs to continue and only grow.

If NDSU wants to announce itself as a challenger in the Summit League, they have to beat SDSU. By this time in past seasons, we knew that wasn't going to happen. We don't know that now. Which makes this upcoming winter really interesting to follow.

Women's basketball fans are eager to see a contending team on the north side of Fargo. We'll see if the Bison can follow thru.