The 2021-22 season was a momumental one for Michele Sung and the women's basketball program. The squad adanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in her coaching tenure, and were just three points shy of continuing a memorable run. 

The result was thanks to a resilient and mature team that built each week, embracing challenges as they came, and growing as one unit. They were also battled-tested, having played a combined eight games against Winnipeg and Saskatchewan, who both advanced to the Final 8. 

The vast core of the team returns this season, along with a strong recruiting class. And with a full travelling schedule for the first time in three years, optimism and excitement are immense for the Herd. 

"I think they were more confident, because they looked at it like hey, we played against two of the best teams in the country and we were competitive, and we could get back to the final four here easily, and the draw worked out in our favour that way," Sung, who enters her ninth season as head coach, said. 

"We were three points shy and had good chances to win it. We had prepped for that first round game for a week, like we normally would and you could kind of just see them get excited for that game because they knew they could compete."

Sung feels that the "delivery of information and ability to put spotlights on different things," were critical elements to the growth that her team showed last season. Building off of a year ago, defensive presence, and the " belief that we can close the gap talent-wise if we're a really hard defensive team," will be emphasized strongly as part of Manitoba's identity. 

"We were fairly pleased with things we decided to commit more time to, and we adjusted this offseason to things we still think we can get better at. We're in year two of having a totally different mindset in terms of how to use our personnel to the best of our advantage," said Sung. 

"We talked a lot this offseason and now with this current roster that if anybody was to walk in the gym and describe our team, how would you they describe it? [The goal] was for them to work on that every day so it wasn't just a feel good message. Play fast, play with a really intense defensive mindset and play by committee. We're not relying on one person or two people to score 30-plus. We want to be able to distribute that, so we can have some continuity on a weekly basis."

To Sung's point, the Bisons are a well-rounded group. Seven student-athletes played in at least nine minutes per game last year, and the team averaged 32 percent from the field and 30 from three. Their defensive efficiency ranking was also third in the conference. 

Leadership core
The leadership core for the Bisons this year includes third-year guard Lauren Bartlett, who's played significant minutes her entire career, and is a former All-Rookie member, along with fellow third-years Autumn Agar, Emerson Martin and Emily Johnson at forward. 

Agar and Johnson leveled up a season ago, with the former starting 11 games while scoring in double digits multiple times. Johnson was "deceptively effective" and shot 50 percent or better every night and Martin was third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.6 points per game along with starting all 16 regular season games.

"Players like Autumn and Emerson and EJ have all gone through evolutions every year, of either fitting themselves well into a roster, or in this case using what their best assets are and complementing each other," said Sung. 

"Autumn and Emerson complement each other really well. Someone like EJ, I think teams are always surprised when they're done playing her. She either got to the line or got a significant amount of offensive boards or put a ton of pressure on the rim by moving without the ball, which is something that's hard to teach and a really big asset when you have it."

Bartlett spent the summer interning for RBC in Toronto, with a focus on investment banking. She was involved in a fast-paced environment which involves a ton of collaboration, and Sung's noticed the positive effect it's had on her. 
 

"She's the one talking in huddles now, and it never used to be the case. Her teammates have acknowledged that. When she's talking and engaged, it's totally different and we're a different team. That summer experience was good."

Other players who keep Manitoba "steady from week to week" include third-year guard Talia Peters, along with third-year forward Lauren Manaigre, while key recruits like Ayva Khan, Mar Tomas Arbos, Brynn Endicott and Sabrah Muratirende have bought in and are critical pieces. 

Khan gives the team depth at the guard spot, and has been "steady" for the team due to injuries to players like Lana Shypit and Keziah Brothers, who returns for her final season after a year on a missions trip. Samantha Onyebuchi and Mikayla Simon-Tucker are also important pieces when healthy. 

"[Brothers] was very much at peace when she left. Then she asked me, do you think it would be okay for me to start talking to other schools if I get into grad school, because I'm only in one course," said Sung.

"She didn't know it was a possibility [to come back and play again]. I think she wanted to respect the athletes that had been working in the offseason. For us, it was like well no, you left a legacy here, and if you want to finish it, it's yours to have. Your Bison career as-is was great, but you can add to it for sure. Team dynamic-wise, she's super positive and I knew she wasn't going to come in expecting anything. She just really wanted the opportunity to be part of the program for one more year. You can't really ask for a better scenario."

Out of town impacts
Endicott and Tomas are two particuarly intriguing recruits. The former is a Saskatchewan native who won a provincial 5A title with the Campbell Tartans, along with a silver medal at this summer's Canada Games. Sung refers to the 5'10" forward as "the loudest in the room in the best way."

"She's super entertaining, she can talk to anyone about anything, but sometimes she gets a little bit shy in certain scenarios. She's just a hard worker and she comes from a great family. She's super positive, has really high standards for herself and is a multi-sport athlete," said the head coach.

"She could've played U SPORTS volleyball, and football she's really big into. She's just a really neat person. I wasn't overly impressed by her highlights, and then I went and watched her play in provincials, and two minutes in it was 100 percent yes, just because she has some similarities to Autumn in her work ethic. She plays tough, and seeing her play live, her size became totally negated. I just think she has a ton of potential."

Tomas Arbos, a 5'11" guard out of Spain comes to the Bisons after previously playing JUCO ball in the states, while getting an engineering diploma. She's now pursuing a degree in UM's Faculty of Engineering and is a can't miss player. 

"The second she committed it was very stress free. She kind of did everything on her end, which is rare for international students. It's a lot of work to get here," Sung noted.

"I think just based on her experience in JUCO, she was kind of thrown into a leadership position, and she's not overly loud, but she's pretty smart on and off the court. For that to be the foundation of her leadership, it's really complementary to some of the ones we have. It's steady, and I'm not worried about how much playing time she gets. She gets it."