WVU women’s basketball hosted an open practice on Thursday, July 24, to display their almost entirely new roster. The Mountaineers are only returning five players from last year’s team, so there were a lot of new faces on the court for head coach Mark Kellogg. Some of the players and Kellogg spoke with the media after practice, sharing their thoughts on the upcoming season and the team’s outlook. Read more: WVU Women’s Basketball First Thoughts and Kellogg’s Extension.
WVU Women’s Basketball First Thoughts and Kellogg’s Extension
Mark Kellogg has performed well since taking over as the Mountaineers’ women’s basketball head coach two seasons ago. He has a record of 50-16 and two appearances in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Kellogg just inked another contract extension that could keep him in Morgantown through the end of the 2031-32 season.
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The extension includes several clauses that tie incentives to performance. Kellogg could earn a two-year extension if he finishes in the top six of the Big 12 standings over the next two seasons. If he only does it in one season, he would only earn a one-year extension.
There are also salary and buyout changes in his contract, but they are less critical. The important part is that Kellogg has made a significant commitment to the school and plans to be in Morgantown for several seasons.
Kellogg also announced a new addition to the coaching staff. Kasondra McKay was hired as an Assistant Coach and Director of Recruiting. She most recently served as an assistant and recruiting coordinator at Colorado State. Kellogg issued a brief statement regarding the hiring of McKay, who is expected to make a significant contribution to the recruiting efforts.
“We are so excited to welcome Coach McKay to our Mountaineer women’s basketball staff,” Kellogg said. “She will bring passion, energy, and invaluable recruiting experience to our program. Kasondra will develop close relationships with recruits and their families and push our players to excel on the court. Mountaineer fans, please welcome Kasondra and her family to Morgantown.”
Mark Kellogg’s Initial Thoughts on the Team
The team lost a lot of production from last season. JJ Quinerly and Kyah Watson were seniors and finished their careers at WVU. They both played over 31 minutes per game, and Quinerly led the team in scoring at 20.4 points per game. Watson led the team by a wide margin in rebounds with 7.6 per game. Kellogg thinks some of his newcomers can fill the gap.
Junior forward Carter McCray, who transferred from Wisconsin, will likely bolster the team’s rebounding efforts. She averaged 7.1 rebounds per game last season with the Badgers and 11.2 per game in 2023-24 with Northern Kentucky.
Junior guard Loghan Johnson will likely strengthen the team’s defense and serve as the “Swiss Army knife,” as Watson did last season. She transferred from Texas Tech after two seasons and is expected to play a significant role for the Mountaineers this season.
Jordan Harrison played 30.7 minutes per game last season and averaged 13.7 points per game. She will likely lead the team in scoring and make significant progress as a senior. Sydney Shaw should also fill some of the void left by Quinerly on the offensive end. She played 31.8 minutes and scored 11.4 points per game last season. One player will not fill the production, but multiple, as Kellogg will use his depth to his advantage.
He said that he believes this is his “deepest team” he has had since arriving in Morgantown. He also said there are potentially two more players to join the team, which would bring the total number of players to 13. Justin Jackson of The Dominion Post asked Coach Kellogg about Harrison’s changes from last year to this year.
“Not too many. She’s in complete control, but I thought she was most of the time last year,” Kellogg said. “She just works. I think she’s shooting it at the best clip that she’s ever shot. Her confidence is at an all-time high,” Kellogg continued. “I think she’ll take another step. Obviously, you take JJ (Quinerly) out of the equation, and Jordan shared some of that, so Jordan’s going to get a lot of it. Now she’s going to really get to blossom.”
Harrison is the engine of this team for the upcoming season, and she is capable of proving her talent in the Big 12. She now has a chance to show her defensive prowess, which was slightly overshadowed by Quinerly and Watson last season. This team will go as far as Harrison and Shaw take them, but the newcomers should help fill necessary roles.
