Savannah Wheeler is back for her third season in Marshall’s backcourt, and this year she’ll have help with the addition of Xavier transfer Aaliyah Dunham, a former South Charleston standout.
Savannah Wheeler is back for her third season in Marshall’s backcourt, and this year she’ll have help with the addition of Xavier transfer Aaliyah Dunham, a former South Charleston standout.
HUNTINGTON — While the 2021 Conference USA women’s basketball tournament did not go as planned for Marshall, Thundering Herd head coach Tony Kemper got to see a glimpse of how special his team could be down the stretch.
Kemper watched as his team knocked off the league’s three premier teams — Rice, North Texas and Middle Tennessee — in successive weekends to show the potential for the team.
The Conference USA tournament loss to Louisiana Tech also showed Kemper the Herd’s needs, which included consistency each night and another guard to help alleviate some of the weight from Savannah Wheeler, who has handled point guard and lead scoring duties over the past two years.
Kemper added Xavier transfer and former South Charleston standout Aaliyah Dunham to the mix while also beefing up the non-conference schedule to get the Herd ready for what is to come in 2021-22.
Given what he’s seen in offseason practices leading up to the official start of the preseason, Kemper is excited about getting to work for the season, which is just over one month away.
“The group that we have has really done a nice job of setting a good and positive tone,” Kemper said. “I like them a lot.”
With Dunham now in the mix at the point-guard spot, Wheeler gets to move out to her natural spot as a two-guard, thus freeing her up from having to run the offense.
Kemper said the move has allowed his team to grow in the backcourt, giving it a pair of options who can handle the basketball while also making Wheeler more dangerous as a scorer.
The end result is an increase in tempo, with two players who can handle the basketball and get the team in its sets, especially against teams that bring full-court pressure.
“I think that those two will play really well together and you see that in practice already,” Kemper said. “I think we’re all developing chemistry with what lineup makes sense and when.”
Marshall took some time to get going in 2020-21 due to COVID-19 knocking out all but two of its non-conference games last season.
The team started to jell toward the end of the season, which was evident in the final three regular-season weekends.
Forward Kennedi Colclough was a big part of that surge, finding her way as a scorer and leader late in the season while giving the Herd a versatile front-court option who can also step outside.
Dunham’s situation is much like Colclough’s was last season, and Colclough said their relationship has grown through those similarities, which they hope transitions to the court.
“It’s nice to have someone also that’s experienced and knows the stuff that I know and wants to help the team in the same ways I want to help the team,” Colclough said. “Our leadership has been very [good] for this team.”
Leadership will be critical for a team that faces a tougher road in the non-conference portion of the slate, with games at Michigan State and Purdue along with a home game against Horizon League champ Wright State and participation in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic against Oakland and Akron.
Kemper said success will not be measured in those contests, but those games will help prepare his team for a league slate that has been a gauntlet due to the strength of the regional opponents within the league’s scheduling structure.
“I think we’re trying to harden this group, I think, to get them ready for conference play,” Kemper said. “At the end of the day, I want to start really fast, but how we do in Conference USA is really how it shakes down for this team.”
Wheeler averaged 17 points last season to lead the Herd while Colclough came on late in all facets as another key contributor. Front-court options Lorelei Roper, Alexis Johnson and Mahogany Matthews all shined at times while guards C.C. Mays and Kia Sivils add a tough defensive dynamic to the backcourt.
“That depth and that experience really gives this team a chance to really take some steps forward,” Kemper said.
Marshall’s first game is a Nov. 9 matchup with Bluefield State at Cam Henderson Center.
Grant Traylor is the sports editor of The Herald-Dispatch and covers Marshall athletics for HD Media. Follow him on Twitter @GrantTraylor.
