JMU women’s basketball is days away from starting its season. Can the preseason Sun Belt favorite win another league title?

The coach

Sean O’Regan is back in Harrisonburg for his 11th season as the Dukes’ head coach. With a career record of 236-90, he’s one of the best mid-major coaches in the country. If the Dukes meet their expectations again this year, he’ll be coveted again by Power Conference programs. 

O’Regan’s teams have largely dominated Sun Belt play, going 58-14. Still, JMU has made just two NCAA Tournament appearances in his 10 seasons, largely because of bad injury luck and COVID. The Dukes made it last year, and they’ll look to do so again. At the very least, JMU has been a WNIT/WBIT regular during his tenure. JMU winning 20-plus games feels like an annual certainty.

He’s a proven winner and a big reason why fans should be excited for the upcoming season. 

The roster

Let’s break this group down by returners and transfers. 

In the backcourt, Bree Robinson and Zakiya Stephenson return. They’re both shifty guards in their fourth seasons of college basketball. Robinson is the better scorer (11.9 points per game last season), but Stephenson is capable, too (7.9 ppg). Defensively, they ranked No. 1 and No. 2 on the team in steals last year. Their ability to defend and score makes them among the most consistent guards in the Sun Belt. 

Second-year guard Delilah Soltys also returns after averaging 3.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last year. She’s a solid rotational player. JMU also adds freshmen guards Reagan Edsell, Maddie Leach, and Kinley Lewis. Leach, whose father played in the NFL, was a highly recruited player, while Edsell has deep ties to the school (her parents were both JMU athletes, with her mom playing on JMU’s 1994 national championship field hockey team). Lewis can also play forward, giving her positional versatility. 

JMU’s transfer guard class starts and ends with Ja’Quoia Jones-Brown, a Long Beach State transfer. The third-year guard, who stands at 5’5, averaged 17.6 points and 6.7 rebounds a season ago. She figures to play a key role for JMU offensively this season. 

In the frontcourt, the Dukes return second-year forward Grace McDonogh and fifth-year forward Brianna McLeod. McDonogh has star potential after averaging 6.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Her 35 starts as a true freshman were the most in program history. Look for her to make a sophomore jump. 

McLeod is more of a defensive presence, as she led the Dukes with 52 blocks last season. She’s a steady defender and performer in the post, and she’ll be needed in the frontcourt. Sophomore Jemma Eleby also returns after appearing in 14 games last year. 

The Dukes added sixth-year player Trinity Moore (Stephen F. Austin), who averaged 11.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 2024-25. She missed last season with injury but is an impactful frontcourt presence. Fourth-year Kennesaw State transfer Trynce Taylor averaged 9.7 points and 6.5 rebounds last season. Demi Gilliam joins the team as a freshman. 

JMU has plenty of solid frontcourt options to complement what looks like dynamic guard play.

The schedule 

The schedule rules, simply put. 

JMU opens with Miami Ohio and has intriguing mid-major games with Navy, East Carolina, George Mason, and Liberty. The Dukes also face Virginia Tech, Virginia, Arkansas, and Penn State on the road or at neutral venues. Those are great tests (with a few winnable opportunities) for O’Regan’s team. 

This should be an entertaining nonconference slate.

The projection

Once again, JMU enters the year as the Sun Belt favorite. That’s the expectation for the Dukes, even with Peyton McDaniel graduated. 

The Dukes’ goal is to win the Sun Belt Tournament and make another NCAA Tournament appearance before moving into the American Conference. Given JMU’s returning talent and incoming portal pieces, that’s a realistic goal. 

Anything less than 20 wins and Sun Belt title contention will be disappointing. Fortunately for JMU fans, Sean O’Regan and company regularly meet lofty goals.

Photo courtesy of JMU Athletics Communications