By the time the conference tournament came last season, few teams wanted to see Roosevelt on the schedule. The Lakers soared to sixth place in their first year in the league, and they are ready to re-load for another shot at the top. Roosevelt may have lost its top-two scorers from last season, but junior Marie Outlay is back to lead an experienced group after averaging 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game last season.
Outlay’s defense has been the anchor of the Lakers the past two seasons after she broke the program single-season steals record in both years. She added scoring to her repertoire last season, and she has only improved on that end of the floor during the offseason. The Lakers also bring back senior Kencia Levasseur, whose grit and tenacity brings an added element to the team when she’s on the floor. In addition, sophomores Ava Brandenburg and Emma Yurich join junior Alexia Lohman as part of a strong returning core of role players.
Coach Deon Thomas balanced out his recruiting classes with his newcomers with three freshmen joining four transfers on the roster. Size was an important priority for Roosevelt with three frontcourt players six feet or taller arriving during the offseason. Isabella Pitta comes to Chicago after two seasons at Lipscomb while Brynne Katcher arrives after two seasons at junior college. Meanwhile, 6-foot-3 Nina Susic joins Roosevelt as a freshman from Croatia. Kelly Boyle is in line to potentially be the new point guard for the Lakers after she played two years at UNC Greensboro.
Roosevelt starts the season at home with games against UMSL and Maryville on Nov 14 and 15 before trekking to Ohio for non-conference matchups at Walsh and Malone the following weekend. The Lakers open conference play at home against Michigan Tech on Dec. 4 before hosting Northern Michigan on Dec. 6. They also welcome Lewis to the Goodman Center in the non-conference finale before entering conference play in the new year.
