Michigan Tech guard Kendall Standfest attempts a jump shot during a game against Northern Michigan Thursday, Feb. 20, at the SDC Gym in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — There is no way to sugar coat it, the Michigan Tech Huskies women’s basketball team had a difficult 2024-25 season. It started tough with a ton of injuries, and other injuries nagged seemingly every time the Huskies got healthy. In the end, the Huskies finished the season 12-17 overall and 9-11 in GLIAC, which was impressive, all things considered.

” Every year I look back at the practice plans, where we were at the same time last year, and we had six healthy players our first week of practice last year,” said Huskies coach Sam Clayton. “I was like, ‘OK.” It was a wild start to the year. But honestly, looking back now, ind of removed from it, I’m really proud of the way we continued to respond throughout the year, despite a ton of adversity that was thrown at us.

“I thought our team can just continue to live by our core values, which is really the most important thing. I think, every single day, they still had their integrity. They still played with grit. We had that unity. We stuck together, so many things. We still had gratitude, because if you were able to play, you were one of the healthy ones.”

As Clayton and the Huskies entered practices this season, the focus was quickly shifted off of last season and onto improving team defense, which has become the center of attention in the early going.

“We didn’t have the wins, per se, we wanted, but honestly, that’s one point of emphasis coming into this year from last year, we’re not focusing on the win-loss record,” she said. “We’re not looking at it at all from last year. For this year, we’re really going to focus on the process, and this preseason has been a lot more emphasis on defense, which I’m really excited about, because it’s so much of that grit, that heart, that compete, outworking people, outlasting people. We’re really focusing on the defensive side of things, and also just the controllables. Forgetting about records, forgetting about outcomes of games, and just playing one position at a time.”

With Isabella Lenz having graduated, the offense starts with sophomore guard Kendall Standfest. Standfest averaged 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds last season. She had seven double-doubles last season.

“Freshman year is so hard for everybody,” Clayton said. “I don’t care, you’re going away from home, all that. Then, on top of it, she’s arguably our best player, almost averages, a double-double. So, you’re just a leader just as it is, because we’re looking to you to get a bucket when we need one. We’re looking to you to get a rebound, to get a stop. We put it on some good players, and she was able to defend as well. So, to see her grow over the year, really in her confidence, was huge. You could kind of see her step into that confidence and be like, ‘OK, yeah, I want to take these big shots,’ later in the year.”

Two of Standfest’s classmates, guards Ella Mason and Kloe Zentkowski, saw some good minutes last season as well.

“Ella and Kloe had great offseasons, and they were good their freshman year, but that’s an adjustment year, still figuring things out,” said Clayton. “But, really looking forward to see how they’re able to take that next step this year into that leadership role, on the floor, off the floor. Because, I think both of them have worked their tails off here in the summer, in the preseason, and deserve to take on some big roles.”

Mason was a scorer in her high school career in Negaunee, but she has had to work hard to learn the defensive game that Clayton runs.
”She’s taken a ton of steps defensively, but she’s focused on it,” Clayton said. “That was one of her goals in the offseason and this preseason. So, we’ve hammered it in, and she’s done individuals, coming in and working defensively, and she wants to do it. A lot of times defense is a heart, and it’s a want, to. You don’t have to be the most athletic, but if you’re smart enough and you want to defend, it’s a team defense. You don’t have to be able to do it individually. She knows enough that she’ll be in the right position.”

Along with the young budding stars, the Huskies will be counting on senior forward Janie Tormanen. Tormanen missed games due to injury last season, but when she was in the lineup, she was excellent, averaging 11.2 points per game and 6.3 rebounds.

“Janie brought a ton last year as a first-year player for us, just with her energy, her talk, being an upperclassmen,” said Clayton. “We didn’t have many upperclassmen last year, so that in and of itself, having a little college game experience, was super helpful. She just brings a voice and an energy that helps unite us. With a young team, when people aren’t so sure what’s going on and everything’s a little new, that was huge for us.

“Now she was another one that was in and out, every two, three games, so that was tough on us, because she was such a big vocal factor when she was out.”

Clayton is looking for junior guard Alyssa Wypych to take a big step as a third-year player. She averaged 8.5 points per game as a freshman, and 8.6 as a sophomore, but she only shot 27.3% from beyond the arc, down from 38.4% as a freshman.

“I think she puts a ton of pressure on herself,” Clayton said. “I think she’s just kind of that perfectionist. (She) wants to be great. Her mom played here and was phenomenal. So, that’s just a lot of pressure. But, I think she’s done a lot of that mental work where now she’s ready to come in this year and just put her head down. The things that we’ve talked about, not focusing on if you make the shot or not, not focusing on the win or the loss, because sometimes that can get in your head and then you don’t play as well as you’re capable of.

“She’s so capable, especially defensively. Last year, you saw some inconsistencies, maybe offensively, but she came locked in every game defensively, and she’s going to do that again for us this year.”

A healthy junior guard Dani Nuest and fifth-year guard Kaitlyn Maxwell will add depth as well. Clayton likes what both bring, and both are healthy this season, which puts them far ahead of where they were last year.

The Huskies have three freshmen this season, and at least two of them could make an immediate impact. Guard Aubrey Johnson becomes the third in her family to don the Black and Gold, and Bella Hanna, from Maple Grove, Minnesota, can play multiple positions.

Johnson, a Negaunee native, was the 2024-25 WestPAC Player of the Year, 2024-25 WestPAC Defensive Player of the Year, and 2024-25 Mid Peninsula Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

“Yeah, love Aubrey, love that family,” said Clayton. “I got to coach her sister Clara, obviously her mom played here too. So, another one that just has that pride in Michigan Tech basketball, wants to be here, wants to be great, puts in all the time. She’s maybe one of our hardest worker as a freshman, which is just hard, because we have a lot of hard workers, but she busts her butt every day. She’s another one that’s really vocal and brings a ton of energy. So, she makes us better. Whether she plays or not, she always makes us better, competes. She’s just a phenomenal young lady.”

Clayton loves Hanna’s versatility.

“Really versatile, and the first probably couple weeks, I think, was just kind of getting her feet wet, getting used to it,” Clayton said. “But, the past couple weeks now, I feel like she’s really settling in. She’s had some tough finishes at the rim. She’s had some great passes.
”Her high school team did the exact opposite of what we’re doing defensively, so it’s been an adjustment, big adjustment, defensively, but just now, I think it’s becoming a little more natural for her defensively. Just even the past couple weeks she’s taken huge steps, where, OK, I could feel confident getting her into a game and she’d be able to execute.”

The Huskies are going to open their season with a scrimmage Wednesday against Michigan State, where former Huskies players and coaches Kim Cameron and Maria Kasza are both on the coaching staff.

From there, the Huskies’ non-conference lineup is tough, from Lewis, to Minnesota-Duluth, to Concordia-St. Paul, Michigan Tech will be battle-tested before facing a GLIAC opponent on Dec. 4, when they take on Roosevelt. Then, come Jan. 1, they play all conference games, which will put them to task until March.

Clayton is really excited about facing the Spartans as the Huskies will have their first chance to get their feet wet.

“I think it’s so awesome that we get the opportunity to do this,” she said. “Kim reached out, I don’t even know, it was only a few months ago that we got this set up, because they were looking for a DII game, and Kim right away was, ‘Michigan Tech, hello. Like, why not?’ So shout out to her for getting this set up for us.

“Awesome experience that we get to go play a Big Ten school. We have some players that have family down there, and get to come to the game. I think just playing at that gym and that arena, under the big lights, awesome for our players to have that experience. You’re going against some of the best athletes in the world. Michigan State’s preseason ranked 23. They’re a dang good team.”

Michigan Tech guard Ella Mason drives past a Lake Superior State defender during a game Saturday, Feb. 15, at the SDC Gym in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)