It’s almost time for Division 3 women’s hoops in New England, a hotbed for some of the best players in the country.
The season will kick off in mid-November, with several New England teams looking to make a deep run toward a national championship.
From some of the nation’s top scorers to countless all-league honorees, let’s get you acclimated with 10 players from around the region to watch this season.
These are some of the best players in the nation.
Angie Czeremcha, Springfield College
F, 5-10, Sr.
Tabbed the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and to the all-conference first team last winter, the West Springfield, Mass. native was also selected as a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association honorable mention All-American. Czeremcha averaged a double-double (13.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game), helping lead the Pride to the league regular season title. She posted 15 double-doubles.
Elsa Daulerio, Bates College
C, 6-3, Jr.
The D3Hoops.com fourth-team All-American averaged 13.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in her first year as a starter, picking up first-team All-New England Small College Athletic Conference honors. The Harpswell, Maine, native finished the season with double-figure scoring in 19 of her final 20 games, collecting eight double-doubles during that span. Daulerio’s mother, Adrienne Shibles, formerly served as the head basketball coach at Dartmouth, and before that Bowdoin, where she led the Polar Bears to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Lyric Grumblatt, Rivier College
G, 5-9, Sr.
The reigning Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Grumblatt ranked top-5 nationally averaging 25.7 points per game and totaling 642 points. She also led the conference in steals. A three-time GNAC All-Conference First Team selection, the Manchester, N.H. native already has 1,840 career points. She’s especially efficient from 3-point range with a career 37.8% mark on more than eight attempts per game. Grumblatt scored 30 or more points eight times, including a 44-point outburst against Trinity. She also had a 9-steal game against Elms and eight games with 10 or more rebounds.
Sydney Jones, Bowdoin College
G, 5-6, Sr.
Named a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-American and the NESCAC Player of the Year as a junior, Jones enters her final season of college hoops looking to lead the Polar Bears back to the conference title and another long run in the NCAA Tournament. She averaged 15.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game, and became the fourth player in school history to nab a triple-double. Jones’ father, Joe, is the head men’s basketball coach at Boston University. Her brother, Jay, is a Penn commit.
Ally Landau, Smith College
G, 5-3, Grad Student
A graduate transfer from Haverford College, Landau averaged 16.3 points per game last year, her third straight season making an All-Centennial Conference team. Landau averaged more than 20 shot attempts per game at Haverford, so monitoring the Livingston, N.J., native’s role in a Smith program that reached the national championship last year for the first time, is an underlying story. You rarely see Div. 3 grad transfers.
Hannah Martin, Smith College
G, 5-7, Soph.
Should Smith capture its fifth-straight league title, the North Andover, Mass., native must play a key role. She’s coming off a NEWMAC Rookie of the Year campaign where she averaged 8.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2 assists and shot better than 40% from 3-point range on nearly four attempts per game. The Pioneers graduated their top three scorers, all of whom averaged double figures. Look for Martin to shoulder a heavier scoring load.
Madison Medbury, Rhode Island College
G, 5-6, Jr.
The Anchorwomen qualified for the Sweet 16 a season ago, and Medbury played a key role averaging 8.8 points, 5 rebounds and a team-best 3.6 assists. Five of the team’s top seven scorers from last year are gone, opening up an even bigger scoring load for the Lincoln, R.I., native. Medbury earned Little East Conference All-Defensive Team honors last year, flashing her all-around game. Medbury posted a better than 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, including an 8-assist output against Western Connecticut without a single miscue.
Jakara Murray-Leach, Albertus Magnus College
G, 5-8, Sr.
The GNAC’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Murray-Leach tied for the conference’s lead in blocked shots and finished top 10 in the league in steals. She posted a 10-block game against Johnson & Wales and seven games with three or more steals. No slouch offensively, the Norwalk, Conn., native averaged 17.8 points for her career and eclipsed the 1,000-point mark just a few games into her junior campaign.
Kate Olenik, Colby College
G, 5-8, Soph.
The reigning NESCAC Rookie of the Year, the Medifled, Mass., native averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2.2 steals. An All-NESCAC Second Team honoree, Olenik helped the Mules qualify for the NESCAC Tournament, scoring in double figures in all but two of her 24 games.
Emma Shinney, Endicott College
G, 5-6, Soph.
Named the Conference of New England (formerly Commonwealth Coast Conference) Rookie of the Year last winter, Shinney impressed with averages of 10.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.6 assists. The Wakefield, Mass., native led all conference guards in rebounding and finished third nationally in assists per game. Shinney, who twice fell an assist short of a triple-double and posted eight games with at least nine assists, also earned all-conference third-team honors.
