WBB Practice Report: 10/02

Late in practice for the Oregon women's basketball team Monday, the Ducks were working a late-game scenario. Guard Kennedi Williams made a steal and sprinted to the other end of the court.

Williams laid it in for a bucket off the turnover, and was immediately swarmed by her teammates for the drill, including returners Phillipina Kyei and Sammie Wagner, and newcomers Peyton Scott and Sofia Bell.

The moment spoke to the competitive energy of early practices for the Ducks, which began last week. And it spoke as well to the camaraderie forming throughout the new-look roster, a process that got a jump-start thanks to the program's trip to London and Athens in August.

"Before the foreign trip we were still trying to figure each other out," said Scott, a fifth-year transfer from Miami (Ohio). "Now that we've started practice, we're still refreshing on some things. But we know more how people want to play, where they like to be, where they like the ball, how they prefer things. We're having more intentional conversations, which is helping us compete better and stack days easier."

Scott and Williams are two of the five transfers new to the roster for the Ducks as they prepare for the 2023-24 season, which opens unofficially with an exhibition game against Southern Oregon on Oct. 29. The program also added Bell and fellow freshmen Sarah Rambus and Filippa Tilliander, the latter having arrived in Eugene in late September.

The number of new faces means chemistry building is critical right now. But it also means the Ducks can really push the tempo and intensity in practice, with enough depth to rotate in fresh players.

"The thing I love, and I think you saw it today, they're playing really hard," UO coach Kelly Graves said following Monday's practice. "In the past we've had to manage certain players, but that's not the case right now. So I love what I see so far."

Because of the new faces on hand, two of the most important leaders on this year's team will be Chance Gray and Grace VanSlooten – still just sophomores, but having banked critical experience as freshmen last season. At one point during a defensive drill Monday, Gray huddled with transfer Priscilla Williams after a rep to talk about a breakdown and how they could better be on the same page.

"It's definitely strange to say I'm a veteran after one year, but I like it," Gray said. "I feel like the team looks to me, so I'm just trying to involve everybody and make them feel confident – because we need everybody."

Graves said Kyei has begun to emerge as a leader as well, along with being – as a 6-foot-8 junior with international experience for Team Canada – one of the Ducks' X factors for the 2023-24 season. But it's not just the returners who have shown leadership, with Scott setting the tone in practice so far through her work ethic.

During a 3-on-3 defensive drill Monday that required each trio to get three straight stops in order to be subbed out, Scott and two teammates got stuck on the floor for an extended period. At one point she ended up out of bounds trying to pursue the ball, and she angrily slapped the padded wall in frustration. Then she did something about it, chasing down two long rebounds to finally get her group off the floor.

Each practice, a staff member tracks two players' rebounding effort, without identifying the players until after practice is over. Scott was one of the two tracked Monday, and was graded at nine out of 10 on the boards for the entirety of practice.

"I think that's part of my job, right?" she said after practice. "Not everyone gets a fifth year, someone that's played four years somewhere and has that kind of experience on the court. So I think it's my job to set the tone, it's my job to not skip reps, it's my job to do it again if it doesn't look the best. So I think (Graves) is really looking for that from me."

Other highlights: During a transition drill, VanSlooten showed off her increased scoring range by hitting a three-pointer, a shot that has the potential to really open her up for baskets closer to the rim. … On the very next rep, the freshman Bell had a steal and layin, showing off the defensive length Graves thinks can be more of a strength for this year's team as opposed to last year. …

Gray won an individual shooting drill that tasked guards with shooting three-pointers and bigs with hitting midrange shots. … For the practice drills in which the roster was split into two teams, the group that included Kyei, Wagner, Scott, Bell, Kennedi Williams, Kennedy Basham and Ula Chamberlin typically had an edge Monday.

Notable: Priscilla Williams is participating in practices while still awaiting the resolution of an appeals process that would allow her to play for the Ducks this season. The fourth-year sophomore spent two seasons with Syracuse and last year at South Florida before transferring to Oregon. … Chamberlin missed the first few practice segments because of a conflict with an ethic studies course on campus. … Chamberlin is one of three in-state players on this year's roster, along with Bell and transfer guard Bella Hamel. …

Graves himself also arrived a little late, due to a travel delay on his trip back from the East Coast to celebrate the recent engagement of his oldest son, Max. Assistant Jodie Berry oversaw practice in his absence. … In the post-practice huddle, staff encouraged players to attend this week's first meeting of the year for the athletic department's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Kyei and Gray are the team's representatives to the committee this season, and they along with the other returners also encouraged the rest of the team to participate.