Navy women’s basketball could not have faced a more difficult start to the Patriot League portion of its schedule.
The Midshipmen are starting the conference slate with a rigorous five-game stretch that includes contests against the teams picked to place first through fourth in the preseason poll.
Making things even tougher is the fact three of those games are on the road.
Navy opened Patriot League play at Boston University, the defending regular-season champion that was picked second in the preseason poll.
After flying back and forth from Boston for that midweek contest, the Midshipmen embarked on an eight-hour bus ride to Hamilton, New York, for a Saturday matchup with Colgate, which was picked third in the preseason poll.
Navy got swept during the opening week of Patriot League action, playing well and falling just short against Boston University (62-51) then being unable to keep pace offensively with a hot shooting Colgate team (73-56).
Now Navy returns to Annapolis for its Wednesday evening conference home opener against Holy Cross, the preseason favorite in the Patriot League. The Crusaders, like the Terriers and Raiders, are off to a 2-0 start in league play.
The Midshipmen (4-9, 0-2) will host Lafayette on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Alumni Hall before heading back out on the road to face Lehigh, which was picked to place fourth in the preseason poll.
“We knew this was going to be a very tough five-game stretch to start. We’re playing three road games against the top four teams in the league,” Navy coach Tim Taylor said. “I thought we really competed against Boston. We just didn’t finish a couple plays. We ran into a team that was on fire offensively at Colgate, so I don’t know what to make of that game.”
Taylor acknowledged the importance of getting a win during the two-game homestand this week so the Midshipmen don’t start 0-4 league play.
“At some point, we have to be able to get a win. The kids need to see some positive results for their efforts,” he said. “I look at Holy Cross as a great opportunity to do that, which would be a real springboard. Confidence comes from winning games.”
Taylor knew it would take time for his young squad to learn how to win. Navy’s primary eight-player rotation includes seven sophomores or freshmen. Seniors Sydne Watts and Morganne Andrews are the only upperclassmen among the nine players averaging double-digit minutes.
“We’ve got to be one of the youngest teams in the country. We’re playing around 150 minutes per game with freshmen and sophomores,” Taylor said. “I think the biggest thing, especially early in the season, was trying to get them to compete for 40 minutes. That’s something they’ve had to learn.”
Taylor believes the Midshipmen missed some opportunities during the nonconference portion of its schedule to build confidence. He cited Mount St. Mary’s (67-59 in overtime), Wagner (69-67) and Dartmouth (65-52) as games that could have been won.
Tough games to begin Patriot League play exposed weaknesses and enabled the coaching staff to focus on certain areas needing improvement. Topping the list is team defense, as opponents are averaging nearly 70 points per game and shooting just shy of 44% from the field.
“One of the hardest things for freshmen to learn is how to play defense. It’s not really the on-ball defense as much as the off-ball defense. We’ve gotten beaten on off-ball cuts too often,” Taylor said. “That’s an area we have to address. We can be a lot better defensively.”
Taylor sees the offense steadily improving and finding a rhythm. Freshman phenom Zanai Barnett-Gay leads Navy in scoring with 19.2 points per game. Fellow freshman combination guard Kyah Smith is averaging 11.4, while Watts is averaging 9.6.
There is a significant dropoff from there, however, and Taylor sees two keys to increasing production. The Midshipmen are averaging 63 points on 38% shooting.
“We still need to learn to take quality shots. Sometimes our shot selection is not the best,” Taylor said. “We’ve got to be able to finish shots two to five feet from the basket. We’re missing way too many chippies.”
Navy also needs to improve its rebounding and do a better job of winning 50-50 balls, Taylor noted.
Barnett-Gay, who was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week for the fifth time on Monday, also leads Navy in rebounding (5.8 per game), assists (42) and steals (37). The Riverdale Baptist graduate has scored 20 points or more six times this season.
Taylor noted that things will get tougher for Barnett-Gay as the Patriot League campaign progresses since she is now at the top of the scouting report.
“Now she has to figure out how to score when teams are ganging up to stop her,” he said.
Taylor recently pointed out that every game is a learning experience for such a young squad with growth and improvement coming daily. He said this season is “going to be a roller coaster” and said the key was to make it “more of a Scooby Doo and less of the Intimidator.”
Taylor was referring to the Intimidator 305 located at Kings Dominion in Virginia, which is 305 feet tall and reaches speeds of 90 mph. Meanwhile, the Scooby Doo roller coaster at Kings Dominion is much more benign and safer for children.
“This is a process with this team and we have to stay the course. We’ve got a bunch of freshmen and sophomores and every experience they go through will make them better,” Taylor said. “There are going to be a lot of ups and downs because every experience is new for them. As a coaching staff, we just have to continue to give them confidence.”
Holy Cross at Navy
Wednesday, 5:30 p.m.
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: 1430 AM