Sprinkle in an upset against No. 3 seed Colorado State University and a deep Mountain West Tournament run, reaching the third round, the Fresno State women’s basketball team has a strong foundation to build on heading into next season.
In a 57-45 loss to the University of Wyoming on Tuesday, March 11, the game marked the final competition of the Bulldogs’ 2024-25 season—a season in which Head Coach Jaime White had the opportunity to watch her team grow.
“We love to win, but more than that, we love to help our student-athletes get through this weird time of their life and help them,” White said. “And hopefully we can help them and inspire them to be better people and obviously better basketball players.”
The Bulldogs were led by junior forward Mia Jacobs all season, piling up notable accolades such as All-Mountain West women’s basketball honors, surpassing 1,000 career program points, earning a spot on the Becky Hammon mid-season Mid-Major Watch list, being named Mountain West Player of the Week three times and securing three times as many double-doubles as last season (19)—ranking fourth in the nation.
Along with Jacobs, the Red Wave had the opportunity to watch other players grow, including freshman guard Danae Powell and her ability to run the offense, junior guard Mariah Elohim and her shooting prowess, sophomore forward Kylee Fox and her solid play and sophomore Maria Konstantinidou and her overall development on the court this season.
But, if White wants to see improvement next season, other players will have to elevate their game as well. A common theme all season is the Bulldogs’ lack of size in the front court, ranking eighth in the Mountain West in rebounds and rebounding differential.
Despite sophomore forward Holly Griffiths standing at 6-foot-4—the tallest player on the team— she only averages 5.9 minutes a game, which ranks 12th on the team. However, with a limited offensive game, it’s difficult to give her more playing time. Therefore, if Griffiths can work on her game in the post, or even develop a reliable 3-point shot, fans could see her slide into the starting lineup next season alongside Jacobs in the front court and shift Konstantinidou to the bench as a spark.
Even so, with factors like the transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness (NIL), retaining players like Jacobs can be a difficult task as larger programs can outbid Fresno State when it comes to NIL funds. And with the growth of other players on the team it will be interesting to see who remains on the roster following this season.
Despite that, White has built a strong culture, which was something that she emphasized at the beginning of the season and she feels the team was able to achieve that.
“It’s hard to find a new home and mesh and get to know each other and buy into the program you’re at,” White said. “I really am proud and happy our players were able to do that.”
We will have to see if that will be enough to bring back players next season, and if others can continue to develop. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs will be a team to watch next season.
