Rookies no more: Meet the sophomore group leading the charge on the court for St. Joe’s women

The sophomore class of the St. Joseph’s women’s basketball team had quite the freshman campaign, one that saw the Hawks earn four of the five spots on the All-Atlantic 10 rookie team last season.

One of those players, guard Laila Fair, transferred to the University of Massachusetts after the season. The other three Hawks who earned the honors — forward Talya Brugler, guard Mackenzie Smith, and guard Julia Nyström — are still on the roster.

“Obviously, we’re all from different areas and parts of the world,” said Smith. “So being able to build that bond from an early stage and then developing it over the next three years is huge.”

Brugler, who was the A-10 rookie of the year last season and is a member of this year’s preseason all-conference third team, is one of the Hawks’ three captains. She said she and her fellow sophomores are looking for new ways to be productive now that their opponents have a year of scouting them.

“We do a lot of things together off the court to help build our chemistry,” Brugler said. “Our on-court chemistry has been elevated because of that. We’re just using the experience we had on the court last year to help other people [on the team]. It will help elevate our game now because we know what the game looks like.”

Smith said it is important for the sophomores to build upon what they did last year by stepping up their maturity level. “Now it’s about us taking on leadership roles and leading by example and really continuing to push like we did last year,” Smith said.

Hawks coach Cindy Griffin noted that having talented sophomores brings a reprieve for sixth-year guard Katie Jekot to not have to be such a hands-on leader with the trio now that they have a year of experience on the court.

According to Griffin, the sophomores are ready to shoulder some of that workload now.

“When you’re out on the court, you’re leading,” Griffin said. “The development over the summer has been really monumental for them. [They are] understanding the game and in better shape and getting a little bit stronger and picking up things a lot quicker than they were a year ago.”

Smith, who shot a better percentage from three (.386) than she did overall (.382) last season, said being able to find open space to shoot as well as getting open off the dribble will be important for her this year.

“I just have to hit shots when I’m open,” Smith said.

As for Brugler, who led the Hawks in scoring (10.6 points per game) and shooting percentage (.504) as a freshman, consistency will play a big role in sustaining and improving her production this season. She also led the team in rebounding with an average of 5.7 boards per game and tied for second in blocks with 14. Brugler said if she and her teammates play solid all-around basketball individually, they will show up as a better team on game day.

“I have to continue to find better shots,” she said. “I need to continue to keep my percentage above 50 and find ways to get the ball in the basket. Being a solid all-around player helps my teammates. It creates more opportunities for them and myself.”

Nyström and Smith contributed to the Hawks in several categories last season as well. Nyström finished second on the team in assists (50) and steals (26), while Smith finished fifth in blocks (11) and third in steals (22).

“If we’re all solid individually, we’re going to be solid as a team,” Smith said. “We’re better in different areas, so getting really good at those certain things will make us all great.”