JORDAN HARRISON

MORGANTOWN — Mark Kellogg, in his own words, has been around the block a time or two.

“This isn’t my first rodeo,” is the way the WVU women’s basketball coach put it.

Having talented players graduate is nothing new, but Kellogg’s task this season of replacing the production of former star J.J. Quinerly is not exactly the same as replacing just any talented player. She was a two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, as well as a multiple all-league player, one who finished her college career with 2,016 points, 341 assists and 328 steals.

“It’s definitely going to look different,” Kellogg said. “We’ll have to coach things a little differently to be sure. It’s not just replacing her 20 points a game, it’s also missing that player, when things get tough, you just give her the ball and let her go.”

With Quinerly in the lineup over the last two seasons, Kellogg guided the Mountaineers to a combined 50 wins and two trips to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Without Quinerly? See, that’s the thing, because there isn’t expected to be too much of a dropoff.

“If we can come back without J.J. and have just as much success, I think that’s a great credit to our coaches and the type of program they’re building here,” WVU guard Jordan Harrison said. “It would show how complete our team can be and it would be a credit to the type of players (Kellogg) brings in year after year.”

Harrison was then asked if expectations had changed at all going into this season.

“Not really,” she fired right back. “We still expect to go out and compete for the Big 12 and go right back to the NCAA tournament.”

WVU was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll, behind TCU, Iowa State, Baylor and Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers also received 17 votes for the preseason AP Top 25 poll, so WVU is right on the cusp of being considered among the contenders.

Breaking through to that top level again, Kellogg said, is going to be more of a team effort.

“I really like our depth. This may be the deepest team we’ve ever had here,” Kellogg said.

“I like our newcomers. I think they bring a lot of versatility. We do have more newcomers than returners, so that’s going to be something we have to work through.”

WVU does return two starters and five players from last season’s 25-8 team that fell to North Carolina, 58-47, in the second round of the NCAAs. Harrison leads that group and returns for her third season as the Mountaineers’ point guard. She averaged 13.7 points and 4.5 assists per game as a junior.

“We expect Jordan can be a little more dynamic this year,” Kellogg said. “We need for her assists to go up, her turnovers to go down and then she’s probably going to have to shoot more threes. There were times last year she passed up on good attempts to try and keep others involved. I’d like for her to go ahead and take those.”

One of Harrison’s backcourt mates will be returning starter Sydney Shaw, who knows all about taking 3-pointers. She led the Mountaineers with 67 threes a season ago after transferring over from Auburn. Shaw averaged 11.4 points per game last season and that number is expected to improve.

Where Shaw has changed her game is on the defensive end.

“I definitely feel like I’ve made a lot of progress with my defense,” Shaw said. “You may have to ask coach about that, though.”

So, of course Kellogg was asked.

“Yes, Shaw has made great strides with her defense,” Kellogg said. “She’ll love to hear that I’m giving her some credit there. She’s worked so hard in the offseason to become more of a complete player.”

WVU, with its frantic full-court pressure defense, led the Big 12 with 777 turnovers forced last season. That isn’t expected to change in Kellogg’s third year with the Mountaineers.

The reason is a roster full of elite defenders, that includes the six newcomers, who are looking to create their own sense of havoc.

That’s where WVU guard Sydney Woodley comes into play. A reserve last season, Woodley appears set to move into a starting role now. She first caught Kellogg’s eye two years ago in the transfer portal after she recorded 104 steals during the 2023-24 season at Long Beach State.

That list of elite defenders also includes newcomers Gia Cooke (transfer from Maryland), Carter McCray (Wisconsin), Kierra Wheeler (Norfolk State) and Loghan Johnson (Texas Tech).

“I think Sydney Woodley is an elite defender. I think Gia Cooke can be an elite defender,” Kellogg said. “Loghan Johnson can be a great defender, more probably in the Kyah (Watson mold) than the J.J. mode. Shaw has come so far defensively and is playing at a high level on both ends right now. I feel we have the numbers and the depth. We feel pretty good about it, actually.”

The most noticeable change will be in West Virginia’s ability to score down low and rebound the ball. Last season, the Mountaineers finished 12th in the Big 12 in rebounding.

Sophomore center Jordan Thomas is the one to watch there, as she moves into a starting role after a promising freshman campaign where she averaged 6.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

McCray averaged 7.1 rebounds at Wisconsin last season and Wheeler averaged 9.0 rebounds at Norfolk State.

“Rebounding is an issue we had to fix,” Kellogg said. “Jordan Thomas is poised to make a big jump. She worked hard on her body to get into better shape. You will see us be able to play more inside-out than before.

“That will be a positive change offensively for us, and then being able to go out and rebound the ball is a big plus for us.”

The other major change that will come this season is WVU’s schedule, as Kellogg didn’t back down from beefing up the nonconference schedule. It includes a featured game against No. 7 Duke at the Greenbrier Resort, as well as home games against Villanova, Temple and Georgia Tech.

WVU will also travel to Texas A&M and will likely match up against Ohio State during its Thanksgiving tournament in The Bahamas.