WEST LAFAYETTE — While the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 21, marked the first official practice for Purdue women’s basketball, it felt like practice started up over a month ago.
And well, that’s because it really did. The Boilermakers spent the summer working on individual development of their new personnel, which consists of just four returning players from a season ago and ten newcomers to the fold. As the upcoming season inches closer, they’ve begun to put all the pieces together and grow chemistry on a team level.
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Purdue head coach Katie Geralds built a unique roster heading into her sixth season leading the program. Out of the 14 women set to take the court, eight different countries are represented: Australia, Israel, Montenegro, Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tanzania and the United States.
On the outside, there might seem to be a possibility that the differing basketball styles from around the world could clash. But Geralds has seen it come together into a team with some connective tissue, and the chemistry between the team has felt rather seamless already.
“Basketball is one language,” Geralds said, “That’s been kind of true to form watching our players integrate with each other. … It is a really selfless basketball team.”
That selflessness has been felt on both ends of the floor in practice. Multiple players are willing to put their body on the line and get physical, whether that’s drawing a charge, making the extra pass or taking initiative on defense.
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The caveat is that the Boilermakers will need pieces to step up and be more selfish when taking a shot or control of the ball. That’s a challenge Geralds has issued out to her team, but one that will come with time and once roles are more clearly defined.
“(It’s) a group that’s collectively trying to figure it out together,” Geralds said. “It’s been a really fun group to be around so far.”
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One of the integral newcomers to Purdue is UC Riverside transfer Hannah Wickstrom. Coming off a year averaging 23.4 points per game and finishing as the Big West scoring leader, she’ll be expected to be a productive contributor on offense in her transition to the Big Ten.
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Originally from Melbourne, Australia, the junior has found comfort being integrated into the Boilermaker system with so many other players sharing the same experience.
“I think it helps when you’re all in the same kind of boat,” Wickstrom said. “When you’re learning things, new offenses, new defenses, it’s so many concepts altogether, and it really helps when everyone’s trying to understand it and everyone deeply cares as well. It’s special, it’s cool going through that together.”
Missing the entire 2025-2026 season due to injury, redshirt senior Taylor Henderson is another important piece for Purdue. Although she hasn’t played at Mackey Arena yet, she’ll be looked upon as a leader as one of the few returning Boilermakers.
Henderson attested to the team connecting quickly, despite their circumstantial differences.
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“Even though we come from all over the country and all over the world, we just have really good chemistry,” Henderson said. “The way that we glued so fast is really something that stood out to me this summer.”
Throughout the practice drills available to the media, Henderson, Wickstrom and Kyndall Hunter were typically seen together leading drills. Hunter, a sixth-year senior, has stuck out as a player who can take care of the basketball and be a leader at point guard to Geralds, along with freshman Zoja Stirn.
From the potential starters to the bench, Geralds also sees room with versatility and the ability to plug-and-play players at different positions. The team has lots of spacing on the perimeter, which can give 6-foot-7 center Avery Gordon room inside to score or kick out to her teammates when she encounters doubles.
That goes back to the selflessness. There might not be a distinct No. 1 option for Purdue, but it has multiple threats that can be on any given night.
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“If you had to ask me right now who would lead us in scoring, I don’t know if I could tell you one person,” Geralds said. “There’s just too much offensive talent out there, that I think we can be creative in the way we use them.”
The Boilermakers’ class of four freshmen equally have the potential to be in the mix and earn minutes before the regular season begins.
Each of them having an international background helps them compared to the typical freshman; all have competed against tougher competition overseas and are used to a 24-second shot clock style of play.
“That’s kind of the way we want to play anyway,” Geralds said. “They played against some more mature women playing up and playing club basketball. Their skill and IQ level is different.”
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Purdue has 30 practices ahead of its exhibition game against UIC on Saturday, Oct. 24 at home. There’s a lot to still uncover about this team, but some identity has already been found inside the practice facility as the work begins to kick into gear.
Chase Gemes covers high school sports and Purdue women’s basketball for the Journal & Courier. He can be reached at cgemes@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue women’s basketball finding identity as official practices begin
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