It’s a whole new group for Brooke Wyckoff’s Florida State women’s basketball program this year.
Entering her fourth season as head coach, Wyckoff returns only three players from last season and added seven new players from the transfer portal.
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Losing her star players like Ta’Niya Latson, Makayla Timpson, and O’Mariah Gordon, there’s a ton of production to replace. FSU was one of the best scoring offenses in the country last year, averaging 86.9 a game, but Wyckoff is confident that the Seminoles will maintain their high-scoring offense and fast-paced defense.
“There’s a learning curve,” Wyckoff said during the ACC Media Kickoff.
“We took our team in the recruiting process to make sure that the players we’re bringing in fit what we want to do, how we want to play. That was — before they even came on a visit, we knew that they were capable of being great scorers, of getting after it on the defensive end. That being said, they have to learn a new system. So we have experienced players who have power four games under their belts. They’re getting it, and they’re getting comfortable in it. Like you said, by February, we should be rolling and hopefully scoring more and more points.”
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Who are FSU basketball’s top returning players
FSU will have guard Sydney Bowles back for her senior year. Bowles worked her way from serving the sixth-man role to starting nearly halfway through the season. Last season, she was the fourth-leading scorer, averaging 10.6 a game. Her career best was against Georgia Tech when she dropped 32 points.
Another senior guard, Amaya Bonner, was known for her length as a 6-foot defender and is expected to take a step forward in her third year. Senior forward Avery Treadwell, who backed up Timpson last season, brings size at 6-3. All three were named team captains.
“It means so much. Just me having to just step out of my comfort zone and actually be one of the leaders and actually just talk and actually just be there for my team, at first it was a lot, but now I’m actually getting comfortable with it,” Bonner said.
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“Like with the team, I love the team. They just make me feel, like, happy and comfortable with what I’m doing. Just actually me having to step up, I mean, it’s a great feeling.”
SURVIVOR: Brooke Wyckoff, breast cancer survivor, an honoree for Cards for a Cure
Who are the new faces to watch for FSU basketball
Wyckoff made seven new additions to her roster, and most of them bring game experience. Jasmine Shavers was an All-Big 12 honorable mention guard at Texas Tech, as she averaged 14.9 points per game.
Senior forward Allie Kubek came from Maryland, where she saw over 20 minutes of playing time a night, averaging 9.4 points per game. Mari Gerton is the lone freshman on the roster for the Seminoles.
Jan. 20: Texas Longhorns guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda (32) steals the ball from Maryland Terrapins forward Allie Kubek (14) during their game in the Coretta Scott King Classic in Newark, New Jersey.
“I think that nobody really knows how we’re going to look,” Bowles said.
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“We know how we’re approaching it, but I think first game out we’re going to be playing Florida State basketball, and it’s going to be the same exciting, high-scoring, defensive intensity there. I think it’s going to be our coming out party starting next week, and we’re going to keep building on that. I think everyone should be excited to see everybody just step into new roles. We’re going to be a great team this year.”
Where FSU basketball stacks up among the ACC
There is no easy road to the top of the ACC, especially with teams like Notre Dame, UNC, North Carolina State and Duke. For Wyckoff, she embraces the challenge. Throughout her tenure, FSU has been a top-four team in the ACC standings. She is 80-39 in her head coaching career.
FSU’s first conference opponent is Notre Dame, a team the Seminoles defeated last season at South Bend. It is one of the games she looks forward to facing, along with other top-notch opponents in the league.
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“One of the best things about the ACC is the caliber of coaching at each program. You’ve got to bring it every single night as a coach with understanding the game, being able to make adjustments, having multiple plans, reacting to the plans that they’re bringing,” Wyckoff said.
Florida State women’s head basketball coach Brooke Wyckoff questions a call during a college basketball game at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024.
FSU opens the season against Florida A&M in an intercity showdown at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center on Nov 7 at 6 p.m.
Some of the notable non-conference opponents include facing the reigning national champs, UConn, Illinois, Indiana, Florida and Georgia. Wyckoff has high hopes of returning to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight time. Last year, FSU made it through the second round of the Big Dance.
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“Our goal is to get to the NCAA Tournament, and that’s what’s so great about playing in the ACC: our conference gets us ready to get a good seed in the tournament and to compete and go deep,” Wyckoff said.
“Nonconference as well, what we’re doing this year is getting us ready to compete in the ACC. The Power Four opponents that we’re facing, we’re really excited about those games. Just, again, we have a lot of them at home, which is nice.”
FSU women’s basketball’s Sydney Bowles, Amaya Boner talk leadership roles in new season
More: FSU women’s basketball to face NCAA national champs UConn in a home-and-home series
2025-26 FSU Women’s Basketball Regular Season Schedule
Nov. 3 Florida A&M Tallahassee, Fla.Nov. 6 Georgia Southern Tallahassee, Fla.Nov. 9 at UConn Storrs, Conn. – 4:30 PM | FS1Nov. 12 Nicholls State Tallahassee, Fla. – 11 AMNov. 16 Indiana Tallahassee, Fla. – 5 PM | ACCNNov. 20 at Florida Gainesville, Fla. – 6:30 PM | SECNNov. 23 Illinois Tallahassee, Fla.Nov. 28 vs. Missouri State Fort Myers, Fla. – Coconut HoopsNov. 30 vs. Coppin State or Oklahoma Fort Myers, Fla. – Coconut HoopsDec. 3 Georgia Tallahassee, Fla. – ACC/SEC Challenge – 5 PM | ESPNUDec. 7 Notre Dame Tallahassee, Fla.Dec. 14 College of Charleston Tallahassee, Fla.Dec. 18 Virginia Tech Tallahassee, Fla.Dec. 20 South Carolina State Tallahassee, Fla.Jan. 1 at Syracuse Syracuse, N.Y.Jan. 4 Virginia Tallahassee, Fla. – 2 PM | ACCNJan. 11 at Miami Coral Gables, Fla. – 2 PM | ACCNJan. 15 at Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pa.Jan. 18 North Carolina Tallahassee, Fla.Jan. 22 at SMU Dallas, TexasJan. 25 Georgia Tech Tallahassee, Fla.- 4 PM | ACCNFeb. 1 at Clemson Clemson, S.C. – 6 PM | ACCNFeb. 5 at NC State Raleigh, N.C. – 9 PM | ACCNFeb. 8 Miami Tallahassee, Fla.Feb. 12 Boston College Tallahassee, Fla.Feb. 15 at Louisville Louisville, Ky. – 6 PM | ACCNFeb. 19 California Tallahassee, Fla.Feb. 22 Stanford Tallahassee, Fla. – 2 PM | ACCNFeb. 26 at Duke Durham, N.C. – 9 PM | ACCNMarch 1 at Wake Forest Winston-Salem, N.C. – 4 PM | ACCN
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Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU basketball’s Brooke Wyckoff roster changed, but approach has not
