Miami women’s basketball looks to reach new heights in 2025-26

For the Miami University RedHawks women's basketball team, last season was a step in the right direction.

Miami finished with a 19-12 (11-7 in conference play) record and were fifth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Last year’s campaign was also the first winning season in five years for the RedHawks.

“We all have a vision for what winning looks like, and I feel like now the kids here have tasted winning,” said head coach Glenn Box after the RedHawks’ 68-61 defeat to the Kent State University Golden Flashes in the MAC quarterfinals.

The Red and White will look to replicate its successes from last season. However, this year’s group is a brand new team. There are only four returning players, but despite that, Box said he is excited for what this group is capable of.

“We were able to bring in some good kids,” Box said at the team’s introductory press conference. “When I say good kids, I mean kids who are capable of playing solid basketball, who can take care of the ball, who can make shots [and] who can play the game the right way … We feel like we hit the jackpot. We feel really comfortable about the group that we’ve accumulated. Got to give kudos to our staff for getting it done.”

Unlike in years past, Miami now has a mostly upperclassmen-led team. The group is headlined by five juniors and three seniors. It also is a transfer heavy unit. With seven incoming transfers and only one freshman entering Oxford, the RedHawks are expecting a lot from these new players.

Two of the transfers which should make an immediate impact are senior guards Clara Gonzalez Planella and Amber Scalia.

Planella is a 5-foot-8 guard who transferred from Jacksonville State University. With the Gamecocks last year, she averaged eight points and three rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game. She also was one of Conference USA’s best players off the bench, winning the 2025 Sixth Player of the Year award.

Scalia is another guard who should excite Miami fans. With the St. Thomas University Tommies last season, she averaged 15 points and three rebounds per game. She was also two-time All-Summit League Honorable Mention during her time in Minnesota.

Both guards are players that Box has high praise for.

“Scalia is a problem: She averaged 15 points by herself,” Box said. “I envision that her efficiency is going to rise. Clara was Sixth Player of the Year in Conference USA. I’m not really sure people really understand what we got, and what we’ve had in the past.”

Other transfers that should play a big part in Miami’s 2025-26 campaign are redshirt junior forward Brooke Blumenfeld and redshirt junior guard Macie Taylor.

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Blumenfeld transferred in after spending three years with the Northern Illinois University Huskies, giving her extensive experience in the MAC. She averaged nine points and three rebounds while shooting 49.6% on field goals.

Taylor entered Oxford after playing as a Wright State University Raider for three seasons. Last year, she averaged eight points, three rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes per game. Both guards played meaningful minutes for their respective teams last year, and they likely will continue to see opportunities again this season with Miami.

The lone freshman is 5-foot-8 guard Anna Hurst. She attended Stow-Munroe Falls High School in Silver Lake, Ohio, where she was a three-time team captain and named an All-State player as a senior. She averaged nine points, three rebounds and three assists per game last season.

As far as the returners on the roster, Miami has four players who all made their impact felt last year.

Junior forward Amber Tretter is a player poised for another huge season. Last year, she averaged 11 points and nine rebounds per game, and she was a consistent double-double threat. She notched 10, and Box said he expects to see more this year. She was also selected to the preseason All-MAC Second Team.

Sophomores Ilse de Vries and Tamar Singer are also back after productive freshman years. De Vries, a 6-foot-3 forward, scored five points and three rebounds on average, and she added a block and a steal per game as well. Singer showed promise last year as well, averaging six points, two rebounds and four assists. Like de Vries, she was a pest defensively, averaging two steals per game.

Singer spoke about how important defense is at the team’s introductory press conference.

“We’re big on pressure,” Singer said. “We want to press the ball every time we can. This is a special thing for us. We’ll keep pushing.”

Last year, the RedHawks were tied for second in the MAC in blocks (three) and first in the conference in steals (11). Defense should continue to be a staple for Miami, and it should be one of its strengths in the new season.

Miami is projected to finish seventh in the MAC preseason poll behind the Bowling Green State University Falcons and ahead of the University of Akron Zips. The 2025-26 schedule sees Miami facing off against multiple Power Four teams, including the Purdue University Boilermakers, the Louisiana State University Tigers, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and the University of Colorado Buffaloes.

All of these matchups are on the road and will be great tests for a RedHawks team that aims to exceed expectations again in Box’s third year.

Miami won its first game of the season on the road against Coastal Carolina. The RedHawks return home to face the Cedarville University Yellow Jackets on Nov. 7.

andrewrelvaspxp

relvasaj@miamioh.edu