UCF Knights Women’s Basketball 2023-24 Roster Preview
The UCF Knights are preparing for the 2023-24 women’s basketball roster and below is a preview of every player on the roster entering November’s opening game.
Below are the returning players, the transfers and the freshmen that will play a role in Baylor’s upcoming season.
Expected to Return
Mya Burns
Having the 6-foot guard activate her COVID waiver is a boon for the Knights. She was their second-leading scorer last season with 9.1 points. She had a double-double against Memphis and had a 20-point game against Cincinnati. She was also an 80 percent free-throw shooter. She’ll be a difference-maker for the Knights in what will likely be her final season.
Taylor Gibson
The 6-foot-2 junior forward did a year at Michigan before transferring to UCF last season. The Knights gave her a chance to play and she responded with season averages of 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds. Her growth as a player will be key for a team that is integrating several players through transfer and recruiting.
Sierra Godbolt
The 5-foot-6 sophomore guard fought for and won a part-time starting job for the Knights, finishing the season with 4.6 points. But she’s going to be the facilitator for this team. She led the Knights with 98 total assists and her per-game average of 3.37 was sixth in the American Athletic Conference last season. With better scorers around her and a full-time starting job, those numbers go up.
Anzhané Hutton
The 6-foot senior forward put up 7.6 points and 6.3 rebounds in just 20 games as a junior. She was a part-time starter, so her goal this year is to move into being a full-time starter. She had her first career double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds against Tulsa last season. Then she had two more double-doubles. The talent and production are there. At Howard in 2021-22 she was an all-conference defensive player and averaged 10 points and seven rebounds per game.
Laila Jewett
The 5-foot-10 junior guard has the ability to blow up, and she showed that with a career-high 34 points against Sanford last season. In 29 games, 16 of which were starts, she averaged 8.4 points and 3.1 rebounds. Averaging double figures in scoring this coming season isn’t out of the question. She scored in double figures in each of her final 11 games last season. She is a former ESPN top 100 national recruit. This could be her season to break out nationally.
Morgan Robinson-Nwagwu
The Knights don’t know what they have from the 5-foot-8 guard yet because she was unable to play last season due to injury. But, before she transferred from Gulf Coast State College after the 2021-22 season, she averaged 20.2 points per game. Before that, she was at Auburn for two seasons, where she suffered a season-ending injury during the 202-21 season. She was ranked as the No. 28 guard nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz coming out of high school.
Asia Todd
The 5-foot-9 guard is a graduate student and she’s battled injuries throughout her career. He did not play last season and only played in one game her junior season. did not play last season due to injury and should have at least one year of eligibility remaining next season. With Liberty in 2019-20 she was an All-ASUN Freshman Team selection who shot a team-high 41.3 percent from 3-point range and ranked second on the team with 38 triples. Scoring ability isn’t an issue for Todd. If can stay on the floor, she can help the Knights.
Arrival Via Transfer
Jayla Kelly
The 6-foot-3 senior center spent the last three seasons with the Missouri Tigers where she appeared in 58 career games. As a junior, she started 20 games and played in 26 games, scoring double digits in three games. Kelly recorded a career-high 14 points with nine rebounds against Tennessee. She will be one of UCF’s tallest players this season and should be an immediate help inside.
Kaitlin Peterson
The 5-foot-9 junior guard was at Indiana and left the Hoosiers midway through last season. In six games last season she averaged 4.0 points. She didn’t have much of a chance for playing time with the Hoosiers, but she scored nearly 3,000 points in her high school career at Eufaula, Ala., and was ranked a Top 100 recruit by All Star Girls Report and Prospects Nation. She could make a significant impact for the Knights.
Timia Ware
The 5-foot-6 sophomore guard played in one game at LSU last season before hitting the transfer portal, so it’s not clear what she brings to the college game. But, clearly the Knights have expectations. In high school Ware was ranked as the No. 20 point guard in the nation by ESPNU HoopGurlz and No. 56 overall player by World Exposure Report.
Mary McMillan
The 5-foot-6 senior guard is a Florida product and returns to the start after her career at UNC-Wilmington. She was poised for a big season in 2022-23 before an injury ended it before she really had a chance to get going. But in five starts, the team captain averaged 12.2 points and 3.0 assists. For a full season those would have been career highs for McMillan.
Class of 2023 Recruits
Khyala Ngodu
The 6-foot-3 center was the No. 7 ranked player in the state of Florida (out of Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale) when she signed in November. It’s possible she could redshirt this season if the Knights have enough depth in the frontcourt.
Achol Akot
The 6-foot-1 forward out of Capital Courts Academy in Ottawa, Canada, gives the Knights some size they can build around for the future. She averaged a double-double in her junior season in Canada.
Projected Starting Five: Burns, Godbolt, Kelly, McMillan, Hutton
First Four off Bench: Gibson, Jewett, Robinson-Nwagwu, Ware
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
