It’s time for another episode of the Locked on Women’s Basketball podcast. In this episode, host and The Next’s A-10 beat writer Natalie Heavren is joined by Tee Baker, the BIG EAST beat reporter here at The Next. Natalie and Tee preview the upcoming season for the BIG EAST’s 11 teams, including which teams are poised for a breakout season, the most impactful newcomers and the return to the court for Paige Bueckers for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
Tee on the environment at Providence with new head coach Erin Batth:
I am local to Providence, so I’ve had the chance to kind of get to know her [and] see her in different settings, like at her introductory press conference. She’s really just bringing a great energy to the team. She has a lot of assistant coaching experience, and … the players who I spoke with on media day just really referenced how it feels like an entirely new culture at Providence. … Erin Batth said that people should be surprised by how Providence is going to come out this season. She’s expecting them to fare better than the No. 9 [ranking] that they got in the preseason poll. So I’m just excited to see what she brings to that team.
Tee on an under-the-radar player they are excited to watch this season:
[A] player that I’m interested in seeing this season is Ber’Nyah Mayo. She is a player who has transferred from [UMass in the] Atlantic 10 … I’m really excited to see her come on in. She’s a transfer with St. John’s, and she’s a really dynamic two-way player. I know [Natalie has] seen her play before, she was last season’s Atlantic 10 All-Tournament MVP. And she has a presence to kind of be a program changer [and] add some depth for St. John’s.
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