“I’m just really thankful for the commitment of our players to return and believe in what we’re building and to know it takes time,” Hoffman said.
“We told them that all year: We’re young, keep trusting it, your experience will play off. We saw that late in the year when we were winning, which gave them hope that we can continue on this trajectory.”
The Raiders will return 10 players, including second-leading scorer Claire Henson (9.6 points per game), emotional leader Lauren Scott (7.5 average) and slick passer Olivia Brown (a team-high 2.6 assists per game).
Rebounding phenom Amaya Staton is graduating, and guards Mikaya Miller and Macie Taylor are transferring.
Miller was third in scoring (8.4) and Taylor fourth (7.8). They were part of Hoffman’s first recruiting class.
“We built relationships with them for four years. That’s what stings the most. But it’s the nature of the beast. It’s what they’re able to do,” Hoffman said.
“I don’t blame them for taking that option. I have no hard feelings. I totally get that they want to see if there’s greener grass out there.”
Like the Raider men, who had six players leave the program (including their top four scorers), the women’s team has had to deal with the chaos created by no-sit transfers and NIL money.
Hoffman said she has a small stash to divvy up among players, but it’s probably not enough to make a difference.
“Mikaya was back here grabbing her stuff, and she said, at that point, somebody in the Horizon League had offered her a decent chunk of money. Obviously, I didn’t like to hear that. But that’s out there,” she said.
“It’s a part of our game, and that’s unfortunate. That should never be why you pick a school — ever. It should not be over money.”
Hoffman has had to rebuild a roster each of her first four years, relying heavily on grad transfers with just one year of eligibility.
She targeted younger transfers after last season, and they’ve all decided to stick around.
“So many programs are completely rebuilding, and we had to do it the last couple years. I was like, ‘I’m not going to last long in this career if that’s going to be an every-year thing. We’re taking transfers that have multi-years and want to commit to us more than one year,‘” Hoffman said.
“I’m so happy that’s paying off. When you need that many players in the portal, it’s hard to know what to even look for. You end up getting lesser talent when you try to cast your net super wide.”
The Raiders signed 5-7 guard Elaina Rager, a 2,000-point scorer from Illinois, in November and have four scholarships to give. But anybody Hoffman adds will have to be an ideal fit.
“We’re probably not looking to use all of them. I don’t want 15 players on my team. It’s too hard to keep everyone happy,” she said.
“We’ve got a lot of returners who deserve their shot.”
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