Monday was the FAU WBB media day. During the off-season the Owls essentially cleared the roster as only five players returned from last year’s team. A lot of production left the team with those that left, but recruiting and the transfer portal has brought in new faces for Florida Atlantic.
Two returning Owls player; Mya Perry and Jada Moore, and head coach Jennifer Sullivan shared their thoughts about the upcoming 2024-25′ season.
Mya Perry & Jada Moore
Moore is a graduate senior this season. She made nine starts leading Florida Atlantic in team assists. Perry led the Owls in scoring, and three-point field goals made per game. The leadership role was basically guaranteed to the two as they are only two of three upperclassmen that returned for the Owls this upcoming season. They shared their work from this off-season and their goals for the upcoming season, for themselves, and the team as a whole.
Moore spoke about her and Perry’s role as team leaders and implementing a culture in the program, “We knew who all was coming back, and we knew the people coming in as well. And so in the spring, we really started to build our foundation. We created pretty much an environment we wanted all the new people to come into. So it was very team oriented, focusing on our goals, the kind of culture we want everyone to come into. And so really, everyone really bought into that, that was here. And then when everyone got here, all the eight new people also bought into that culture as well.”
For personal goals this season, Graduate senior Moore mentioned how she wants to take “big strides” this season. “Just going for all conference, any kind of conference team, and just really making sure I go out my last year without any regrets, and playing as hard as I can with your game,” Moore said.
The two also look forward to seeing how well the team will gel this season as Moore mentioned “We have eight new players, and I think everybody brings something that we need…it will be good to be able to see what every single piece combines and how we bond on the court.”
Perry shared how her experience from her first season with the Owls will help her this season as a leader, “I think this year I just want to have more of a positive leadership role. I am still young, but I do think I have a couple years on people, so I think being able to be a little bit knowledgeable for the younger people coming in and helping them adapt to college basketball.” Perry continued by sharing what she has done this preseason, “Being a positive voice for them [younger players], helping them on the court. It is a very big adjustment. So I think just being able to help one another in any aspect, if they come to you with any questions.”
Moore shared her thoughts of how her and Perry’s impact from last season is carrying over into this season, “I think the sky’s the limit, so just really improving and building on what we did last year. And for the new young people coming in, we do also have some older, I just really think pushing them to know their potential, like we really make them feel welcomed and needed here, because we need each and every person that we brought in and so really helping them buy into that and just really lock in on the goals we have for this season.”
Moore said about being the team’s assist leader last season, “As someone whose main focus of my game last year was slashing, it has created opportunities to really not only create for myself, but others as well. So just making sure I make all the right decisions…and continuing to be unselfish, making the right play at the right time.”
For things to work on before the season opener on Nov. 4, Perry shared that she believes the team’s chemistry and bond will be improved on, “Being able to learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses is going to help us be able to navigate through the season. For me, I always think defense is the biggest thing, and you can always work on it, no matter how good you are at it.”
Head Coach Jennifer Sullivan
The 2024-25 season is coach Sullivan’s fourth season with the Owls in Paradise. She led the team to an 11-19 season, and has a record of 28-62 in her career as head coach of FAU.
“We have eight new players to go along with five returners, so priority number one this summer was for the team to come together,” Sullivan said. “We spent a lot of time with the young ladies and their families to make sure they fit well with our culture. The transition has been pretty smooth.” She continued sharing that “their buy in has been great”.
On the topic of the Owls non-conference schedule, coach Sullivan shared, “Some of these schools that we schedule, they make up a little bit of who we’ll see in the American conference”. Continuing, Sullivan explained, “We have a tournament at Grand Canyon. We’ll play three games in four days. I think that’s a good situation to be in to replicate the conference tournament a bit early and see where we are.”
Speaking about the five incoming freshmen, Sullivan shared, “Usually, December is when we start seeing homesickness, but our five freshmen have adapted well. One [Lovisa Asbrink Hose] of them from Sweden, started in August after playing with her national team. Lovisa has been terrific. We also have Erin Rodgers and Emaya Lewis from Georgia. Emaya took some time to adjust after high school, but she came back strong in the fall. Sidney Mains, Miss Basketball from Tennessee, has had a terrific year so far. All of these players come from high-character families and have won championships, whether in basketball, volleyball, or track”
For the returning player’s impact on the incoming players, Sullivan shared that she gave the five returners ownership over the locker room: “They did a great job of communicating what they wanted from our team, and they held each other accountable to that. So when the new players came in, they communicated clearly, we want to have a family environment. Going to be great in the locker room, going to show up every day and practice at a high level.” She stated that “Mya and Jada will be terrific leaders for us this year.”
When it comes to AAC play, coach Sullivan shared, “The biggest struggle last year was physicality of the league. Teams in the league that were not super physical, that matched up with us. Sullivan elaborated sharing, “The physical teams in our league, the North Texas’s the Memphis and the Temples, we just struggle with the physicality of those teams.” A goal of the Owls has been, “To not let ourselves get tossed around despite the size.”
Sullivan closed out sharing what is worked on during practice: “Learning the terminology, learning our system, has been a big priority. Every year you bring in new players and you’re teaching something completely different, having to break the habits of where they came from, not because they’re necessarily bad, it’s just different. Making sure they understand our system, whether it’s on offense or defense, and then implementing those things. Getting back to the physicality, that’s been an adjustment for the freshmen; how fast paced the game is, and the hitting that’s been tough for them, but they’re rising to the occasion and when they fall down, they get back up again.”