Fabio Lopez / Staff Writer
The FIU women’s basketball team had a momentous 2020- 21 season as head coach Jesyka Burks-Wiley led the Panthers’ to their best-ever Conference USA finish in her first year at the helm.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the C-USA had to prioritize the players’ health by limiting the amount of travel for each squad. As a result, the conference announced a change in its format that would separate the teams in Eastern and Western Conferences. Playing each team twice in one location.
This meant that FIU would miss out on playing against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, North Texas Mean Green, and Rice Owls in the regular season.
Due to safety concerns, the Panthers had to cancel their match against the Charlotte 49ers, which resulted in them playing only 16 of the 18 anticipated games.
Despite these hurdles, Burks-Wiley guided the team to an 8-8 finish in the conference with a 15-13 overall record, where the squad qualified for the C-USA Championship for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
The Panthers made it past the first round of the championship defeating the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles 85-75 before bowing out in the quarterfinals against the Rice Owls 77-60.
FIU were then invited to the Women’s Basketball Invitational, their first postseason appearance since 2013.
They went on to win the consolation final 59-58 against the Manhattan Jaspers after scoring five points with three seconds remaining. This secured the program’s first winning season since 2012-13.
The Panthers are a much-improved side this time around with players such as guards Jiselle Thomas, Kyla Nelson, and Raquel Ferrer-Bernad; as well as forward Emerald Ekpiteta all contributing heavily to FIU’s success.
Thomas became FIU’s top scorer, averaging 18.3 points per game in the C-USA and 16.9 points overall. She was the sixth top scorer in the conference. Ferrer-Bernad had the most assists in the team with 85.
Nelson topped the C-USA leaderboard with the highest 3-point field goal percentage with 40 points and a percentage of 0.426.
Ekpiteta dominated in rebounds this season, averaging 9.5 per game in the C-USA and 9.1 overall. She placed fifth in the competition in rebounds.
Burks-Wiley’s 15 wins puts her joint-second in the nation for first-year head coaches. She deservedly earned the Conference USA Coach of the Year award due to FIU’s stark improvement throughout their campaign.
Prior to this year, the Panthers finished 13th out of 14 teams for four consecutive seasons in the conference. FIU’s highest C-USA finish was in 2013-14, where they placed 12th out of 16 teams with a 6-10 conference record.
So how did FIU go from chronic underachievement to being one of the best teams in the conference? There are a few important factors that contributed to this success: an excellent coaching staff, vital player recruitment, and stellar team and individual performances resulting in a historic year for the program.
Coaching Staff, A Recipe for Success
Let’s start with the coach and her subsequent staff. Burks-Wiley was hired in April 2020, becoming the eighth coach in the program’s history. This is her first year as a head coach following stints as an assistant coach at the South Florida Bulls and Brown University Bears.
At USF, where she worked alongside head coach Jose Fernandez, Burks-Wiley led the Bulls to 64 wins and two postseason berths in the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and the Women’s National Invitational Tournament in 2019.
In her first campaign with the Bulls, she guided them to 26 victories, their third-highest in Fernandez’s 20-year tenure. Burks-Wiley credited Fernandez.
“I will forever be grateful for coach Jose Fernandez because he allowed me to come into a program and learn as an assistant coach,” Burks-Wiley said.
“I want to be a head coach at the right place, a place that was going to allow me to ultimately continue to walk in my calling which is empowering young women.”
Burks-Wiley said FIU understands that with student-athletes it’s the whole picture, allowing young ladies a place to grow.
“To bring in young ladies that are going to grow as students and world citizens. That is what really drew me to FIU”
“I did want to find the right job and was really fortunate that FIU came knocking,” Burks-Wiley said.
She went on to credit the school and it’s competitive conference before highlighting its diverse student base.
“You are not going to find a more international campus if you tried.” Burks-Wiley said.
Her prior success proved to be a taste of what she would bring to the table for the Panthers. With the recruitment of assistant coaches Robyn Sherr-Wells, Tim Sylver, and Dan Wendt; Burks-Wiley formed a staff that was more than up to the task.
Sherr-Wells spent three years as the top assistant at Davidson College Wildcats, where she boosted the program from a 12th place finish to fourth in only two years, showing that she is no stranger to a rebuilding project. In addition, she recruited and coached six Atlantic 10 All-Conference Team selections. Her recruitment prowess will become a definite sign of things to come.
Burks-Wiley emphasized the role that her staff was going to have on the team,
Burks-Wiley explained what she was looking for when hiring her staff.
“I knew we were coming into a place that we were going to have to repair a lot of bridges and build a whole lot of trust so I’m gonna need people who were willing to come in and do that.”
“When you come in to rebuild, people either see it in one of two ways: either they come in and they just see the work and it’s a hot mess and too much, or people come in and they see the potential and they see the hope. I wanted people that saw the potential and the hope and I got very fortunate in that with my staff.” Burks-Wiley said.
With that, Burks-Wiley and her staff were ready to begin the rebuilding process, bringing to fruition the potential that they saw within the team.
Player Recruitment Enhances the Squad
With the introduction of Burks-Wiley came the introduction of a flurry of new, and ultimately vital, players that escalated FIU’s ambitions.
Now that the rebuilding process was fully underway, Burks-Wiley decided to focus on what would work best for her debut season, “We knew we were going to need to bring in some experience… We didn’t want to bring in any younger players because that is a big load to bear as a true freshman. We didn’t want to bring anybody in that… would be excited with the experience… [but] can ultimately be a bit overwhelmed by it.”
The deciding factor that came with choosing which players to recruit was essentially their personalities and how they can enhance the culture within both the university and the dressing room.
Burks-Wiley stuck with the motto, “Talent is only going to win you so many games, culture wins you championships.”
“Talent is a big thing that gets them into the conversation, but who they are as people, their families, is what allows them to join the program,” she continued.
Thus came the signings that would soon make Panthers’ history.
Forward Alma Danielsson was the first to sign in late April, followed by Ekpiteta, Nelson, and Ferrer-Bernad in May of 2020. Danielsson placed second in the team in 3-pointers scored, with 32 points in the conference and 52 overall.
Ekpiteta averaged 9.5 rebound per game in the C-USA and 9.1 overall whie Nelson topped the C-USA leaderboard in 3-point field goal percentage with 40 points and a percentage of 0.426.
All of these players were instrumental and contributed in a variety of ways, as mentioned previously, and elevated already established players such as Thomas and guards Diene Diane and Fujika Nimmo.
The Calm Before the Storm
Due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, the Panthers were forced to wait until October 26th for their schedule to be announced.
FIU were initially scheduled to play seven games prior to their C-USA opening weekend, but their first match against Stetson Hatters was cancelled due to one of their players testing positive with COVID-19..
The Panthers’ first four games saw them earn a 3-1 record, their best four-game start since 2006-07. They scored 96 and 97 points against the Florida Memorial Lions and the Flagler Saints respectively, scoring 90 plus points back-to-back for the first time since the 1997-98 season.
Their next two games against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles resulted in losses. FIU earned a 3-3 overall record, averaging 76 points per game with Burks-Wiley’s signings on full display throughout.
Nelson, Ekpiteta, and Danielsson each averaged 13, 10, and eight points per game while Thomas and Nimmo displayed their efficiency, averaging 12 and 10 points respectively. This proved to only be a glimpse of what is to come.
Conference USA
With the C-USA finally underway, the Panthers played eight doubleheaders after their games against the Charlotte 49ers got cancelled.
Panthers come out swinging against the Old Dominion Monarchs
FIU swept the Old Dominion Monarchs in their first series of the Conference, winning both matches 92-85 and 81-80 respectively, their first-ever win over the Monarchs since joining the conference.
Game one saw the Panthers start their C-USA campaign off to a flying start. Scoring over 90 points for the third time this season. Nelson scored a career-high 27 points, followed by Ekpiteta who scored 22 points and eight rebounds. Thomas was a close third with 18 points to her name.
Game two of the series proved to be a much tighter affair. The Panthers were comfortably leading for the first three quarters, holding a 12 point advantage heading into the final quarter.
FIU led 78-71 with five minutes to go when the Monarchs fought back and tied the score with three minutes remaining. About 10 seconds later,Danielsson scored a 3-pointer that ultimately proved to be the winner.
Danielsson and Thomas mirrored each other by scoring 18 points and completing six rebounds each. Ekpiteta earned an impressive 15 points and 15 rebounds in the second leg.
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders offer a reality check
Unfortunately, the Panthers could not carry their momentum heading into this series as they lost game one 65-69 and game two 89-99
FIU has not beaten the Blue Raiders since December 20th, 2012 and that record was extended to 14 games.
Ekpiteta earned her fourth double-double of the season scoring 17 points and 18 rebounds while Nelson scored 17 with Nimmo in third with 12.
Thomas was the star of the series, scoring a then career-high 24 points followed by Nelson with 19 and Ekpiteta with 14.
Mixed results against the Florida Atlantic Owls & Marshall Thundering Herd
FIU split their next two series’ against FAU and Marshall. Against the Owls, the Panthers lost game one 69-73 and won game two 65-62. Their next doubleheader versus the Thundering Herd resulted in a 75-60 victory and a 56-65 loss.
Despite the mixed results, Ekpiteta continued her impressive form with a double-double against both teams, raising her tally to five this season.
Nelson and Thomas scored double digits in all four games, making up for 43% of FIU’s total points throughout both series’.
After only 14 games so far, the Panthers’ overall record is now 7-7, more wins than last year and their most since the 2017-18 season in which they finished 8-21 overall. Already breaking records with 10 conference matches to go.
Charlotte 49ers Doubleheader Cancelled
FIU’s series against Charlotte was initially postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the 49er’s squad. It was ultimately cancelled leaving the Panthers with 16 C-USA games instead of 18.
Emphatic wins against the University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners
The Panthers came roaring back against UTSA, winning both games in emphatic fashion. FIU easily won their first encounter 72-60 but were pushed to triple overtime before finally sealing the series 107-103.
While game one was a relatively straightforward match that saw UTSA unable to catch up to a spirited FIU attack, game two is where the excitement was at.
Here is where the Panthers’ best showcased their strengths in attack as well as highlighting their defensive frailties.
Another sluggish start to the match forced FIU to make a comeback in the third quarter, where they leveled proceedings heading into the final 10 minutes. The fourth quarter had both teams score 28 points each as they entered another stalemate that put the game into overtime.
After two overtime quarter, in which both teams scored 10 and seven points respectively, the third overtime quarter had Alexus Wykoff prove to be the unlikely hero, scoring four straight points to win it 107-103
Wykoff and Nimmo scored a career-high 20 and 28 points, followed by Thomas with 24, equalling her career-high points tally. In the first game, Ekpiteta once against scored a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, her sixth of the season.
FIU scored over a 100 points for the first time since the 2010 season. Additionally, Nimmo scored the most points by a Panther since 2017, a record that will soon be beaten by Nelson against Southern Mississippi.
The Panthers are now 6-4 in the conference and one step closer to achieving a spot in the Conference USA Championships
Slip up against The University of Texas at El Paso Miners
The Panthers once again failed to establish consistency across their games as they got swept 64-76 and 57-73 against UTEP.
Ekpiteta did not feature in the series and her absence was certainly felt as FIU struggled to convert their rebounds, something Ekpiteta has virtually mastered at this point of the season.
With a sluggish offensive performance and a notoriously weak defensive setup, the Panthers were almost certain to find it difficult to get past the Miners, who were 9-3 in the conference at that point.
The main highlight of the doubleheader for FIU was Thomas scoring a career-high 27 points.
FIU makes history against Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles & Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
FIU made history despite splitting both series’ against the Golden Eagles and Hilltoppers.
The Panthers defeated Southern Miss 59-58 after overtime and lost the following game 60-76. WKU came out on top 56-66 in the first leg of the series, but FIU came out on top 82-79 to finish off the regular season.
Thomas topped the scoresheet for FIU in both doubleheaders, scoring a total of 93 points across four games.
With an 8-8 conference record, the Panthers have won the most C-USA games in the program’s history as well as qualify for the C-USA Championships for the first time since their 2015-16 season.
With an already historic season, FIU have the opportunity to continue adding to the record books.
C-USA Championships
Thomas masterclass propels FIU to victory over Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles
FIU defeated the Golden Eagles 85-75 after Thomas scores an astonishing 34 points, the tenth most by a player in C-USA history at the tournament.
Thomas’ heroics were almost in vain as the Panthers dominated the first three quarters, holding a 10 plus lead for virtually the entire match, but let Southern Miss come within three points of FIU with three minutes to go.
Fortunately, Thomas refused to let the team self-sabotage as she scored six points in the final 21 seconds to seal the victory.
The Panthers now entered the C-USA Championships quarterfinals for only the second time in the program’s history.
Panthers bow out against the Rice Owls
FIU bowed out 60-77 in the quarterfinals against the Rice Owls as Thomas could not replicate her stellar performance.
Going against the regular season Rice Owls was always going to be a tough ask for the Panthers. Ekpiteta topped the team in points with 17, followed by Nimmo and Nelson with 16 and 10 respectively.
Despite the result, the Panthers experienced an immense C-USA run that will certainly be the basis for a promising future for the program in the competition.
2021 Women’s Basketball Invitational
The Panthers were invited to their first postseason appearance since 2013, being one of the 104 teams out of a possible 343 that will be competing in the competition.
FIU lost the opening round 69-82 against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks in the opening round. Thomas continued her streak with 19 points, followed by Ekpiteta and Nimmo with 15 and 11 points respectively.
They then won the semifinals of the consolation bracket 78-61 against the Abilene Christian Wildcats. Nimmo stole the show by scoring 28 points and equalling her career-best. Thomas followed with 14 points with Nelson a close third with 13.
The Panthers progressed to the consolation final against the Manhattan Jaspers which saw FIU score five points in the final three seconds of the game to win it 59-58.
Nelson earned her first double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Thomas followed with 18 points and nine rebounds.
This is FIU’s first winning season since 2012-13 and an historic finish for the program. With the season concluded, the Panthers have plenty to look forward to.
What’s Next for the Panthers?
With an incredible season for the coaches, players, and staff; FIU can work on building from this year’s success.
When discussing this seasons’ emphatic successes, Burks-Wiley chose to highlight how important it is for the players.
“I’m really more excited about the victory we had within our kids. The memories that they got to walk away from with this experience, that for me was more important than what the win column is gonna look like.”
Burks-Wiley is already preparing for the future with three new acquisitions for next season. Zaida Gonzalez and Tanajah Hayes were both recruited from highschool and are set to feature next year. Elly Morgan will be brought in from Avila College to help bolster the squad.
One area that Burks-Wiley and her staff need to emphasize for next season has to be the defense. Oftentimes the squad’s defense will lose concentration either at the beginning or end of the games and it results in the team either losing or requiring large comebacks in the third or fourth quarter.
With next season now the focus for the Panthers, a more stable preseason and training schedule will certainly help the squad improve their issues defensively.
“A big emphasis [for next season] is getting our kids sooner, being able to get them in the summer and being able to have a true full preseason, it is moreso getting more reps at [the defense] and more understanding of it [in preseason].” Burks-Wiley said.
With a few tweaks to the team and a more consistent defensive performances, the sky’s the limit for what the program can achieve.
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