Colleges notebook: UMass women’s basketball showing drastic improvement in head coach Mike Leflar’s second season

Mike Leflar speaks at the introductory press conference when he was named as the new head coach of the UMass women’s basketball team back in April of 2023 at Mullins Center in Amherst.

Mike Leflar speaks at the introductory press conference when he was named as the new head coach of the UMass women’s basketball team back in April of 2023 at Mullins Center in Amherst. STAFF PHOTO/DAN LITTLE

By GARRETT COTE

Staff Writer

Published: 01-31-2025 4:55 PM

While there are still a handful of fans who haven’t fully bought into the current landscape of college athletics, there’s no question the world of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deals and the transfer portal certainly has its benefits.

The UMass women’s basketball team is a great example of the work that can be done if executed correctly. A season ago, the Minutewomen were not only an Atlantic 10 bottom feeder, they were grouped in with the bottom third of teams in all of Division 1. UMass won five games, going 5-27 with two dreadful losing streaks of nine and 15 throughout the year.

To be fair, the 2023-24 season was the Minutewomen’s first under new head coach Mike Leflar, who replaced Tory Verdi – now the head coach at Pittsburgh. Leflar was thrown into the fire after UMass had one of its best seasons in program history, going 14-2 in the conference (regular season A-10 champions) and earning a spot in the NIT following an unfortunate snub from the NCAA Tournament. Practically every contributor from that 2022-23 team either graduated or transferred that offseason, including Sam Breen, Sydney Taylor, Destiney Philoxy and several others.

Leflar had to put together a whole new team with no head coaching experience. Lumps were expected in year one.

But this season has been a drastic change. Leflar hit the portal hard, bringing in the exact type of players he knew would both compete on the hardwood and be great teammates in the locker room as well. The second-year head coach hasn’t flat out said it, but a few times this season he’s hinted at the fact that this UMass team has a much better off-court connection than last year’s. It’s made all the difference.

Heading into the Minutewomen’s game against La Salle this Sunday, UMass currently sits at 11-10 – and is 6-4 in league play. After losing large chunks of games on several occasions last season, the Minutewomen haven’t lost more than three games in a row this winter, and that only happened one time – with all three defeats coming by two possessions or less. The half-dozen conference wins are more than UMass had total victories the entire 2023-24 campaign.

Leflar hasn’t just righted the ship, he’s turned the whole thing around.

Allie Palmieri (Seton Hall), Megan Olbrys (Villanova), Momo LaClair (Drexel) and Aleah Sorrentino (Lipscomb) have come in from their previous schools and contributed in a number of ways, especially Palmieri (12.4 points per game) and Olbrys (team-high 14 ppg, team-high 8.2 rebounds per game).

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And just as any good program does, UMass also developed its returning players – headlined by do-it-all senior Stefanie Kulesza. Kulesza’s scoring is down from a year ago (11.2 to 9.7 ppg), but her impact on the game is as palpable as ever. She can play any role for the Minutewomen on any given night. Elsewhere, returning sophomore forward Chinenye Odenigbo is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, steals and blocks and increased her free throw shooting percentage by 16 percent. 

Throw in freshman Yahmani McKayle (12.6 ppg, second on team), who has shown several flashes of stardom this season, and it’s clear that this UMass team is trending in the right direction. If Leflar’s improvements are this extreme from year one to year two, the Minutewomen and the future of the program are in very good hands.

Smith College continues to be a buzzsaw

Its winning streak is up to a dozen, its national ranking is up to No. 6, and its defense is one of the best in Division 3. The Smith College women’s basketball team has demolished anyone in its path since the start of December, and the Pioneers have made easy work – at least they’ve made it look that way – of everyone in the NEWMAC thus far.

Smith College appeared at No. 6 in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association poll this week, and also checked in at No. 7 in the D3hoops.com top 25. The Pioneers have surrendered only 46.4 points per game on the defensive end this season, good for fourth in the entire country in D3 hoops. Their defense, which Smith head coach Lynn Hersey is known for, has reached another level of intensity this winter.

The most points the Pioneers have given up this season is 63, and it came in the only game they lost. Over their last 10 games, the most an opponent has put up on Smith is 51.

The Pioneers (16-1, 4-0 NEWMAC) return to action on Saturday, hosting Salve Regina at 2 p.m. at Ainsworth Gymnasium.