With its 2024 campaign igniting Monday, NIU women’s basketball enters the season with something to prove.
“They (NIU’s returning athletes) feel like they have something to prove,” said NIU women’s basketball head coach Lisa Carlsen. “Leaving by hanging the banner, right, and whether that means the NCAA tournament, whether that means a MAC championship, whether that means postseason basketball. That’s what they talk about. That’s the unfinished business.”
NIU finished last season clinching the Mid-American Conference tournament, but were swiftly booted from championship contention after falling in the first round. The Huskies exited last season with a record of 15-16, 8-10 within the MAC.
The Huskies returned their core of established veterans while adding a few key transfers and freshmen.
“We do have an experienced roster, nine out of 15 players on the roster are upperclassmen,” Lisa Carlsen said. “I think we have a great blend of returners and new faces. I’m super excited about our new kids. So those three things together hopefully are a recipe for success.”
The Huskies returned graduate student forward Brooke Stonebraker (fifth season with NIU) and graduate student guard Chelby Koker (sixth season with NIU) this offseason. NIU also brought back redshirt senior guard Sidney McCrea and senior guard Laura Nickel, who were each top-5 in scoring for NIU last season.
Koker, on the other hand, hasn’t seen action since the 2022-2023 season after missing the entirety of last year to an undisclosed injury. She looks to headline the Huskies’ lineup, as she averaged 15.4 points per game in her last healthy season.
“When Chelby (Koker) was healthy, she was always a 16 to 21 point scorer,” Lisa Carlsen said. “She is more than capable of going into a scoring role. I’ve been really proud of her adjustment back on the floor. Like she’s not hesitant, she trusts her body.”
Koker’s scoring ability replaces graduate student Jayden Marable who transferred to Coastal Carolina University in the offseason after finishing last season as the Huskies’ second-leading scorer.
Coming in at six-foot-three, Stonebraker looks to complement Koker’s game by grabbing boards and scoring in the paint.
“Chelby (Koker) can see the court really well and she also passes really well,” Stonebraker said. “Since I’ve been here, we haven’t really been on the court together a whole lot because my freshman, sophomore and junior year, I didn’t get the same minutes she did. Then last year, when I did get the minutes, she wasn’t able to play, so I’m really excited to both be on the floor at the same time.”
Last season, Stonebraker nearly averaged a double-double and led the team with 11.4 points per game and 9 rebounds per game.
The Huskies also added five transfers this offseason.
Southeast Missouri State University transfer and junior guard Alecia Doyle headlines the bunch. Doyle averaged 13.4 points and 4 rebounds in her last season with Southeast Missouri.
“The most decorated transfer we have coming is Alecia Doyle,” Lisa Carlsen said. “She was at Southeast Missouri last year. She was their leading scorer. She was an all conference player, and really adds an element of athleticism.”
NIU also added three freshmen to the squad; guards Julia Sollberger, Makenzie Brass and Lexi Carlsen – Lisa Carlsen’s daughter. Lexi Carlsen is home grown, hailing from Sycamore and has a chance to be in the Huskies’ rotation this season.
“She’s (Lexi Carlsen’s) making it really hard not to earn her opportunity,” Lisa Carlsen said. “I love that her consistency as a freshman is different, right? She didn’t have to go through the same unknowns as most freshmen, and so she can really focus on the basketball piece which I think she has earned the respect for her teammates.”
Entering her first year of collegiate basketball, Lexi is prepared to do things she didn’t in high school.
“Anybody watching me in high school, they saw me as a primary ball handler, which is not what I’m going to be in a Huskie uniform,” Lexi Carlsen said. “To play off the ball, to be able to shoot the ball – the three ball – at a high percentage is what I’m good at. It’s what I’m going to be asked to do.”
NIU opens conference play on New Year’s Day against the University of Toledo. For the Huskies’ out of conference slate, notable programs include the University of Iowa and the University of Missouri.
The Huskies’ season and home opener tips off at 11 a.m. Monday against the University of Louisiana at the Convocation Center in DeKalb. Live stats will be available through SIDEARM Sports.
