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Logan • Utah State women's basketball coach Jerry Finkbeiner is cautiously optimistic about the coming season, even though the Mountain West Conference's leading scorer transferred away last summer.
Point guard Funda Nakkasolgu left after her sophomore year, when she averaged 20.8 points, ranked 21st nationally in scoring and was named to the all-conference first team.
Nakkasoglu's transfer to Florida seemed like a huge step backward for Utah State, but Finkbeiner believes he has found a replacement.
Her name: Eliza West.
Her hometown: Mount Martha, Australia.
Her game: "… I think people around the Mountain West are going to forget Funda pretty fast," Finkbeiner said.
West is one of four Australian players on this season's roster, arriving via a pipeline that has become a Finkbeiner trademark at Utah State.
"We've built relationships through the years, through trips and travels," he said. "We have some people in Australia now helping us recruit."
One week after Nakkasoglu announced she was leaving, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Ben Finkbeiner was on an airplane. His trip was worthwhile, according to his father.
"That's how we got Eliza," said Jerry Finkbeiner.
Last year, West averaged 9.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists for her club team, the South Peninsula Sharks. A multi-sport athlete, she was also the MVP of the 2016 National Touch League championship game.
"She brings that rugby mentality to our team," Finkbeiner said. "She's going to be quite a player. … She handles pressure. She loves the physicality. I've been coaching 25 years, and she probably understands the game better than any freshman I've ever had."
Utah State finished 14-17 overall and 8-10 in the Mountain West last season. This year's roster includes two seniors — forwards Antoina Robinson and Angelica de Paulo — as well as seven sophomores and six freshmen.
"We were young last year," Finkbeiner said. "We will be younger this year. … But I think we're pretty talented."
Sophomore guards Rachel Brewster and Katie Toole are the top returnees. Brewster averaged 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds as a freshman while playing in an offense built around Nakkasoglu. Toole averaged 6.1 points.
Robinson will likely start at forward, along with Australian freshman Shannon Dufficy.
"We've had three formal scrimmages so far," Finkbeiner said. "[Dufficy] has had a double-double in every one. … We're happy with our starting five."
Utah State opens its season Friday against Westminster College. It is the first of four straight home games.
"My best-case scenario we take care of our home court, gain some confidence and be much farther ahead going into the Mountain West season than we were last year," said Finkbeiner.
Twitter: @sluhm —
USU at a glance
Key additions • G/F Hailey Bassett (Fr., 6-2); F Shannon Dufficy (Fr., 6-2); G Jessie Greer (Fr., 5-8); F Dee Moore (Fr., 6-4); G Eliza West (Fr., 5-5); G Olivia West (Fr., 5-6).
Key losses • F Julianne Anchling (6.0 ppg); F Tijana Djukic (6.1 ppg); Hannah Hutchins (6.2 ppg); C Deja Mason (4.4 ppg); G Funda Nakkasoglu (20.8 ppg).
Projected starters • F Shannon Dufficy (Fr., 6-2); F Antoina Robinson (Sr., 6-2); G Rachel Brewster ((So., 5-11); G Eliza West (Fr., 5-5); G Katie Toole (So., 5-10).
Bottom line • Utah State lost the Mountain West Conference's leading scorer when junior point guard Funda Nakkasoglu transferred to Florida. But coach Jerry Finkbeiner believes the Aggies, while young, are talented enough to continue the improvement they showed last season, when they finished 14-17 overall and 8-10 in the league.