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Wichita State's independent, student-run news source

The Sunflower

Wichita State's independent, student-run news source

The Sunflower

Women’s basketball adds two recruits, completes roster

The+Shockers+celebrate+on+the+sidelines+following+a+Wichita+State+basket+during+the+AAC+tournament.
Kristy Mace
The Shockers celebrate on the sidelines following a Wichita State basket during the AAC tournament.

The 2024-25 Wichita State women’s basketball roster is complete. Two new signings were announced by the team on Thursday afternoon, finalizing a 15-woman roster with six returning players from last season.

Freshman guard Fiona Diomande and senior center Aicha Ndour joined the roster on Thursday.

Diomande joins the team from Chartres Basket Feminin, the Ligue Feminine 2 national champions in Chartres, France. The French native is listed as playing only one game in the 2023-24 season, scoring two points.

Ndour, at 6 feet 6 inches, is one of the tallest collegiate women’s basketball players in the nation. Hailing from Senegal, Ndour played her freshman year at Rutgers University, her sophomore season with NJCAA school Northwest Florida State College and her past two seasons at the University of Illinois.

Ndour never made a big impact with the Fighting Illini, appearing in 23 games off the bench during the 2022-23 campaign and just 9 games last season, averaging 3.6 minutes and 1.3 points.

Head coach Terry Nooner completed a nine-woman recruiting class in his second year in charge that includes three NCAA transfers (Ndour, graduate student guard Taylor Jameson and senior forward Bre’Yon White), four NJCAA transfers (junior guards Kyleigh Ortiz, Princess Anderson and Jasmine Peaks and junior forward Maimouna Sissoko) and two freshmen (Diomande, guard Kiyleyah Parr).

They join returners redshirt junior forward Jayla Murray, senior forward Ornella Niankan, redshirt sophomore forward Jordan Jackson, senior center Ella Anciaux, redshirt junior forward Carla Budane and sophomore guard Salese Blow to form the 2024-25 roster.

“Our staff made a concerted effort to improve our overall athleticism, toughness, scrappiness and tenacity at every position,” Nooner said in a press release. “We believe we have a deep roster and are excited to play a faster, more aggressive style of offense and defense.”

Wichita State returns 37% of its minutes and 38% of its scoring from last year, roughly the same percentages that returned between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons (37% and 35%, respectively).

Senior guard Kaysia Woods previously committed to the Shockers in April. Woods eventually decommitted from Wichita State to join Southern Methodist University.

The Shockers lost five players to the transfer portal in the offseason. Senior guards Ambah Kowcun and Jeniah Thompson transferred to Eastern Kentucky University, and Southern Illinois University, respectively, senior guard Raissa Nsabua left for Robert Morris University, junior forward Daniela Abies transferred to the University of Miami and sophomore center Sophia Goncalves remains unsigned.

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About the Contributors
Jacob Unruh
Jacob Unruh, Assistant Sports Editor
Jacob Unruh is the assistant sports editor for The Sunflower. He is a junior at Wichita State, majoring in journalism and minoring in political science. This is Unruh's first year on staff. He goes by he/him pronouns.
Kristy Mace
Kristy Mace, Photo Editor
Kristy Mace is the photo editor for The Sunflower. She's majoring in psychology. Currently a junior, Mace hopes to go on to get her Ph.D. and become a neuropsychologist. She also plays for Wichita State's bowling team and does professional photography aside from The Sunflower.

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