Making a statement? Ross finishes UTSA workout with a 3-point shooting flourish

Taylor Ross. UTSA women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. - photo by Joe Alexander

Taylor Ross, a UTSA freshman from Brennan High School, showed off her long-distance shooting touch in a drill at the end of Monday’s practice. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

I’ve seen the UTSA women’s basketball team practice probably a half a dozen times since July, and it seems like each time I come out to watch at the Convocation Center, a different player catches my attention.

Four months ago, a few days before the 4th of July holiday, I remember a workout that featured UIW transfer and point guard Nina De Leon Negron running the court and setting up the offense with slick ball handling and passing.

I noticed her touch passes into the paint, right on Jordyn Jenkins’ fingertips.

Later on, it was junior guard Siena Guttadauro, a returning player who didn’t see the floor much last season, coming on strong with confident play in the backcourt. In addition, I also remember Mississippi State transfer Nyayongah Gony.

The lithe, 6-foot-4 post seemed a bit out of synch on my first trip to campus. But slowly, step by step, she started to get better and better. In the last two or three workouts in a row that I’ve witnessed, Gony stood out with her speed, defensive agility and rebounding.

She was good again on Monday when she’d sprint in drills with multiple players on the floor, each of them combining to push the ball from end to end with long passes, all in an effort to get as many layups as possible in a certain amount of time.

Finally, as the workout was winding down, another player popped up on my radar. Six-foot-one freshman Taylor Ross drilled her first attempt in a three-point shooting drill. The shot looked smooth, so I kept my eye on her.

Pretty sure she knocked down five threes in a row, from different angles, before missing her last two. Other players seemed to have a pretty good rhythm, as well, with several knocking down triples from the corner, the wing and the top.

But it was Ross, a first-year college player from San Antonio’s Brennan High School, who seemed to have it really going on, perhaps trying to make a statement.

Playing power forward on a talented team, Ross is battling behind the likes of Jenkins, a preseason all-conference pick, and Gony, who has experience at both the University of Miami and Mississippi State, so finding playing time for her might be a challenge.

At least, initially.

“It’s going to take her awhile to get used to the speed of the game and the physicality, but she’s one we’re super excited about,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “She does have a lot of versatility, and she can stretch the floor at that four (position).

“I think she’s going to learn a lot from playing with someone as experienced as Jordyn.”

Last season, the Roadrunners were a team that excelled with their defense and their rebounding. They ranked among the national leaders in both categories in finishing 18-15 and making it all the way to the WNIT quarterfinals.

This year, Aston will demand excellence on the defensive end, as she always does, but it might be unfair to expect them to be as good as last year on that end of the floor.

Last season, with center Elyssa Coleman patrolling the paint and Kyra White on the perimeter, UTSA shut down opponents, holding them to 64 points and 36 percent shooting. Both players have moved on in their careers, leaving the Roadrunners to search for a new identity.

Could they find it with more proficient perimeter shooting? Based on early reports, they have a chance.

“I think we’ll possibly hit the three a little bit better,” Aston said. “Maybe (we’ll) be a little more versatile. I think our post players have created a little more range in their shooting. They’ve gotten to a place where they’re a little more confident facing up to the basket than they were last year.”

In the frontcourt, both Jenkins and Idara Udo seem capable of hitting from distances beyond where they have shot in the past. Jenkins hit some from three last year after she returned from knee rehabilitation, and she looks comfortable again from that distance.

In the backcourt, freshman shooting guard Aysia Proctor did the most damage for the Roadrunners last season, making a team-high 40 triples on 38.5 percent.

But this year, she should have help from the other guards, namely point guards Guttadauro, De Leon Negron and Sidney Love.

Guttadauro, a 5-6 junior from San Jose, Calif., might have the most upside potential to get hot and sink the long ball in bunches, but all three can hit it. In addition, freshmen Damara Allen and Mia Hammonds have both shown flashes, as well.

Last year, the Roadrunners struggled mightily from the three-point line. They shot 29.4 percent to rank 11th in the American Athletic Conference and 240th out of some 360 teams in NCAA Division I.

“We’ve emphasized it a lot,” Aston said. “We have spent a lot more time on it … quite a bit more time than I have in the past, in practice. But, you know, they got to show up and do it in a game.”

Notable

UTSA will host San Antonio’s St. Mary’s University Rattlers, a Division II program, on Friday night in its one and only exhibition. Tipoff is at 6:30 p.m. at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners will open the regular season on Nov. 7 at Texas A&M.

UTSA’s Guttadauro shines in preseason work after a soul-searching sophomore year

Siena Guttadauro. UTSA women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. - photo by Joe Alexander

Junior guard Siena Guttadauro figures to play a prominent role on the team this season following a disappointing season in which she averaged only 2.9 points and was benched for much of January and February. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA guard Siena Guttadauro says she never lost confidence in herself last January and February when she fell out of favor with her coaches and dropped out of the playing rotation. But with her banishment to the end of the bench, she acknowledged that it did hurt her pride.

“Oh yeah, it hurt,” the Roadrunners’ three-point sharp shooter said. “Because I knew I could play and help the team.”

By March, Guttadauro had come to terms with the reality of the situation. She wasn’t playing much for a variety of reasons, but mainly because she wasn’t living up to her end of the deal with Head Coach Karen Aston.

Karen Aston. UTSA women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA women’s basketball coach Karen Aston says if the season started today, Siena Guttadauro would be in at least the top seven of her playing rotation. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Now that the air has been cleared between the two parties, so to speak, all is well leading into the feisty 5-foot-6 guard’s third season with the Roadrunners.

Things are so good for Guttadauro, in fact, the native Californian has already worked her way into the discussion for a healthy expansion of her role.

She was one of the best players on the floor Monday afternoon during the Roadrunners’ first official preseason workout, burying at least 3 three-point baskets, all while running the offense and pushing the pace as a point guard.

Guttadauro and newcomer Nina De Leon Negron were both playing the point as returning starter Sidney Love nursed what was termed as a “minor” setback.

“(Siena) makes some really good decisions, and then there are times that she gets a little carried away with trying to make a play instead of just getting us in the flow,” Aston said. “But she’s definitely improved in that area. I’m comfortable with her in the game, period. If we had to play a game today, she’d have to be right up there with the top six or seven.”

The season starts in a little less than a month. After a Nov. 1 home exhibition against the St. Mary’s Rattlers, the Roadrunners open the regular season Nov. 7 at Texas A&M.

After Monday’s workout, Guttadauro discussed an array of subjects, including her feelings that UTSA can win 20 games this season.

She also expressed an interesting take on why she never lost confidence in herself last year after sitting out seven games in a 13-game stretch from Jan. 6 through Feb. 25.

Nina De Leon Negron. UTSA women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. - photo by Joe Alexander

Incarnate Word transfer Nina De Leon Negron is also expected to play point guard in the wake of Kyra White’s departure. White is playing professionally in Ireland. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“Like, me personally, I’m a hooper,” Guttadauro said “I just love to hoop. I just want to get on the court. I want to play. I want to do all these things. But, like, when you get to college basketball, one thing that coach emphasizes, and why our team is so good, is that it’s not just about basketball. It’s about (things) outside basketball.”

Specifically, she mentioned that “turning assignments in on time” and “turning paperwork in on time” in the classroom became a problem for her, and that coaches were sending her a message to rectify the situation.

“I was immature,” Guttadauro said. “I was irresponsible. You know what I’m saying? I didn’t have my stuff together as much (as I should have).”

Fortunately for the Roadrunners, she got her stuff together just in time for the team’s final road trip of the season. On March 2, the former high school standout from San Jose, Calif., knocked down four 3-pointers in UTSA’s 68-61 victory at Wichita State.

Her redemption tour continued at the American Athletic Conference tournament, where she hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter of a 58-56 win over South Florida in the quarterfinals. Guttadauro enjoyed another solid game off the bench on March 24 in the second round of the WNIT.

She contributed five points, five rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes of a season-ending loss to the Wyoming Cowgirls.

“Somewhere at the end of conference play – Wichita State, yes – I feel like at that point she was in the rotation,” Aston said. “Once she got herself in it, she never was taken out of it, to be honest with you, and I think that jump-started her spring and her summer.”

By July, Aston was marveling about how her rising junior guard had changed.

“She has dramatically improved,” the coach said. “Improve might even be the wrong word. She has dramatically matured … and I’m really proud of her because a lot of players would have checked out. You know, they would have gone some place else to see if there was going to be a better situation. But she stuck it out, and now she’s kind of over the hump.”

Nyayongah Gony. UTSA women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. - photo by Joe Alexander

Six-foot-four Mississippi State transfer Nyayongah Gony is regarded as a shot blocker and a rebounder who can also run the floor in transition. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Guttadauro said she never considered transferring.

“I love what (the coach) is doing,” Guttadauro said. “Everything she does, there’s a reason behind it. She’s a high-caliber coach with a high-caliber staff. Why would I leave? I have a goal to play overseas (after graduation). Why would I risk that? Like I say, there’s a reason why everyone’s staying.

“Like, why have we had the same team for the last two years? The last three years now. You know why. It’s because people love what she’s doing. I want to be a part of it. For sure.”

Guttadauro seemed to spark a flurry of aggressive play during Monday’s workout.

During full court five-on-five, she started her shooting binge with a triple from the top of the circle after a play in the paint broke down. A few possessions later, De Leon Negron came down on the dribble and fired a one-handed pass cross court to Aysia Proctor, who caught it and knocked down a corner trey.

The flow continued when Maya Linton kicked a pass out to Guttadauro, who drilled another shot from beyond the arc.

“You know, it’s been my position my whole life,” she said of playing the point. “The last two years is the only time I haven’t been a point guard. To be honest, it’s only because Sid is out. I just wanted to step up and play (it) so coach trusts me at that position.

Mia Hammonds. UTSA women's basketball at the Convocation Center on Monday, Oct. 7, 2024. - photo by Joe Alexander

Six-foot-three freshman guard Mia Hammonds from Steele High School was regarded as one of the best players in the San Antonio area last season. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“It’s been fun. It’s been cool. I do miss my two spot. I’m excited for Sid to come back, for sure. It’s a lot of responsibility.”

The UTSA women will have a hard act to follow after last year’s team finished 18-15 with the program’s first trip to a national postseason tournament in 15 years.

Even though they’ll miss point guard Kyra White, who is playing pro ball in Ireland, and center Elyssa Coleman, who has medically retired, the Roadrunners showed off impressive athleticism all over the floor in their first official workout of the fall.

“I’ve been feeling really good,” Guttadauro said. “Been really excited to be in the gym a lot. So I’m just really excited for the year, for the team we have. The potential we have and how young we are. I mean, this is going to be really a fun year.

“We have people (the last couple of years) that haven’t been able to show what they can do. So this year, I’m excited for that, me personally and for the team, for sure.”

Notable

Both forward Jordyn Jenkins and guard Sidney Love had a “minor setback” a couple of weeks ago and were limited in Monday’s practice, UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “So they’re easing back into it,” the coach said. “They’ve got a lot of experience, and it’s OK to give others reps and let them ease into it. They’re good. We’re just easing them back from a couple of minor setbacks.”

California cool: Siena Guttadauro’s clutch shooting boosts UTSA

Siena Guttadauro. Texas State beat UTSA 65-57 in overtime in women's basketball on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sohomore Siena Guttadauro hit two three-pointers in the fourth quarter, boosting the UTSA Roadrunners to a 58-56 victory over the South Florida Bulls at the AAC tournament. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

On many game days during Siena Guttadauro’s two seasons with the UTSA Roadrunners, she will take a seat so far down on the end of the bench that it’s hard to find her.

Guttadauro has become much more prominent in the UTSA playing rotation recently, breaking out initially with a career-high 13 points on March 2 in a victory at Wichita State.

The diminutive 5-foot-6 sharpshooter from San Jose, Calif., rose to the occasion again on Monday in Fort Worth at the American Athletic Conference tournament.

With UTSA’s offense struggling to find consistency against the South Florida Bulls’ confounded zone defense, Guttadauro entered the game and made two three-pointers.

Her play in large measure helped lift the Roadrunners to a 58-56 victory. UTSA coach Karen Aston described Guttadauro’s clutch long-range shots as “huge” in the Roadrunners’ victory.

“They were in a zone to try to slow us down on the inside because Jordyn (Jenkins) had started to establish herself a little bit,” Aston told reporters afterward. “Idara (Udo) had a big bucket. (But) we were struggling to shoot the basketball.

“Siena had a really good game at Wichita. (She’s) starting to mature. She spends a lot of time in the gym, and we thought, ‘Let’s try something different here.’ And it was good. I really thought another factor for Siena was her defense.

“There was a specific game plan for each individual defensively as well as our team, and I thought she gave us an added dimension on the defensive end, also.”

Guttadauro entered the postseason having played only 21 of 29 games, averaging just under 10 minutes per game. When she has played, she has been a factor in stretching the defense, knocking down 18 of 50 from beyond the arc for 36 percent.

“Super proud of her,” Aston said. “I mean, she puts in the time. She has to feel good about her performance today.”

The AAC women’s tournament continues with the semifinals on Tuesday and the finals on Wednesday in Fort Worth. The winner of the postseason event receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. UTSA women’s basketball hasn’t qualified for the NCAA in 15 years.

In 2008-09, the Roadrunners made it by earning a Southland Conference postseason title under coach Rae Rippetoe-Blair.

Quarterfinals

(9) East Carolina defeated (1) Tulsa, 75-71
(4) UTSA defeated (5) South Florida, 58-56
(10) Rice defeated (2) North Texas, 61-59
(3) Temple defeated (14) Tulane, 76-72, 3OT

Semifinals

(4) UTSA vs. (9) East Carolina, Tuesday at 6 p.m.
(10) Rice vs. (3) Temple, Tuesday, 8 p.m.

Finals

Wednesday, 6 p.m.

Aston says freshman Sidney Love is in the mix to start at point guard for UTSA

Sidney Love at UTSA women's basketball practice at the Convocation Center on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022. - photo by Joe Alexander

Sidney Love was the player of the year in the San Antonio area last season at Cibolo Steele High School. She averaged 23 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as a senior. – Photo by Joe Alexander

As Karen Aston moves into her second season as head coach in charge of the UTSA women’s basketball program, a compelling narrative has emerged during early practices for the Roadrunners.

A freshman could lead them.

Aston said Tuesday that freshman Sidney Love from Cibolo Steele High School is in the running to start at point guard.

Love is battling in early fall semester practices with senior Deborah Nwakamma, as well as with freshmen Madison Cockrell and Siena Guttadauro.

“I think right now Sid is the person that we’re going to lean on the most at that position,” Aston said. “I think Deb can play it also. Deb is probably more calm at that position right now and knows more what’s going on. But I would love to play her at the two.

“We just got to let Sid take her lumps and grow and learn the position. She’s doing a good job. I think she’ll get there.”