Basketball season has begun, and the Fordham women’s basketball team has a reputation to maintain. Last year, the team had a record of 18-11 and were ranked 3rd in the Atlantic 10 (A10) in the preseason. They then lost the A10 tournament in the quarterfinals to No. 3 ranked University of Massachusetts in a close contest, 66-63. As the new season is set to kick off, much of the same is expected this year, albeit with hopes of a better ending. 

With Interim Head Coach Candice Green, this reputation will not be difficult to uphold. After the previous head coach, Stephanie Gaitley, was released from her position in June, Ed Kull, director of intercollegiate athletics, named Green as her successor. The coaching staff for the team has otherwise remained unchanged since Gaitley’s departure, aside from the addition of Assistant Coach Liz Brown. 

Fordham fans can feel somewhat secure knowing that Green is sitting in the coach’s seat this season. Green has been with Fordham since 2019, with a long-established bond with the players. 

Green also has a strong athletic history formed by her leadership experience on the court. She was a team captain for the Colgate University (CU) women’s basketball team during which she played in 111 games, in 91 of which as a member of the starting lineup. Her skill was prodigious, as she tallied a total of 271 assists and 93 3-point shots. 

Before becoming an assistant coach at Fordham, Green served one year as CU’s Director of Operations. However, Green got most of her coaching experience following her arrival at Rose Hill, making her well suited to fill the head coaching gap. 

The team will have to move forward this season without Kendell Heremaia, Fordham Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) ’22, one of the team’s most impactful players. She was the 23rd Fordham basketball player to score over 1,000 points in their career, a feat made even more impressive when accounting for the shortened 2020-21 season. 

Although Heremaia’s time at Fordham has to come to an unavoidable conclusion, the team still has a roster full of stellar athletes. 

This year, the team will depend on key players such as senior Asiah Dingle, GSAS ’23, as well as fellow veterans Kaitlyn Downey and Megan Jonassen, both Gabelli Graduate School of Business ’23; Matilda Flood, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’24; Sarah Karpell, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill ’23; and Anna DeWolfe, FCRH ’23.

All eyes are on DeWolfe, who got a considerable amount of playing time last season. DeWolfe started all 29 games and has been a star player since her freshman year, starting a total of 79 contests. She averages 16.4 points per game and has a career total of 1,295 points so far. 

Colleen McQuillen, FCRH ’25, also has enormous potential this season. She made a handful of short appearances during the 2021-22 season that possibly foreshadow an impactful career on the team. During McQuillen’s career at Cresskill High School, she was a record-breaking scorer with 2,324 points. 

Despite only 65 minutes of playing time last season, McQuillen recorded 16 points and four assists. Her most impactful game featured a six-minute run against Dayton University, during which she scored five points for the Rams, playing off Dingle’s passing. 

After an awe-inspiring debut in 2021, Dingle secured her spot as a Fordham starter and a staple of the program. In her first season with the Rams, Dingle scored 426 points, averaging 14.7 per game. She had 999 minutes on the court last season. This season, Dingle is on track for 1,000 career points.

Fordham began their 2022-23 season at home against Kutztown University, an exhibition game on Nov. 3. The bitter end to last season may taint the start of this year, but Fordham remains a winning program. Their 79-48 dismantling of Kutztown underscored this point.

The team will face some of the same teams as last season. Their first major opponent was Yale on Nov. 7 where the Rams dominated, 80–67. This was a considerably larger margin than last year’s contest against the Bulldogs, where the Rams inched by in a nine-point victory.

Although there is some concern about Gaitley’s departure, that will not take away from the grit each of the Rams has along with the skill set proven by each member of the coaching staff. 

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