It is March, and that means DII women’s basketball conference tournaments are upon us. If some schools plan on making it into the bracket, they’ll need their superstars to come up big.
And these five have just the stuff to do it.
Welcome to the February DII women’s basketball all-stats starting five, also known as the statistical dream team. This is based 100 percent on DII’s stat leaders and nothing more. Some are just flat-out leading DII women’s basketball in a single category, while several are in the top five of many.
DII WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HUB
The February DII women’s basketball all-stats team
(All stats through Feb. 28 per NCAA.org; all positions confirmed through official school rosters)
Guard: Gracie Stugart, Maryville (MO)
Stugart reclaimed the DII women’s basketball assist lead, and in doing so, she claims her spot back in the all-stats starting five after a month away. Listed at 5-foot-7, she does a little bit of it all, leading her team in rebounds (8.1 per game), steals (2.3 per game, which is second in the GLVC) and, of course, all those assists. She is almost doubling up all her career highs and is coming off one of her best months of the season, averaging 10.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.2 assists per game and 2.2 steals per game.
Guard: Sophia Wisotzki, Simon Fraser
The 5-foot-10 scorer returns to the lineup after a very hot February. She’s scoring 24.2 points per game on the season, the most among DII guards and third-most overall. She averaged 25.4 points per game in seven February matchups, having not scored fewer than 21 points all month and putting up 30 points in consecutive games. She has been a top-five scorer all year long, and one of the most consistent point scorers in DII.
Also considered: Emilia Long, Alaska Anchorage; Emma Miller, Minnesota Crookston; Zamiya Passmore, Anderson (SC); Reese Schaff, Central Missouri; Nala Williams, Cal State Dominguez Hill
Forward: Emilee Weakley, Frostburg State
That’s seven. Weakley has led DII women’s basketball in scoring for seven straight months and has taken up residency in the all-stats team. I just don’t see a way she ever leaves. She averaged 30 points per game in February, scored no fewer than 23 points in any of her eight games and closed the month with 30 or more points in three of her last five games. She is shooting a career-best from the floor and from behind the 3-point line and also chips in 8.9 rebounds per game. She’s the reigning MEC Player of the Week, because who else would be?
Forward: Alisha Little, CSU Pueblo
Little is my pick for DII women’s basketball player of the year. The all-stats team regular may be playing the best of her career, and if you are looking for a student-athlete who is an all-out player, well, look no further. Little is second in DII in scoring (25.6 points per game), fifth in rebounding (11.8 per game), and first in double-doubles (23). She scored 30 or more four times in eight February games. But it’s what doesn’t show up in the stats that makes her extra special. The reigning RMAC defensive player of the year may very well do it again. She’s second in DII in blocks (3.62 per game) and is just an unstoppable force on both ends of the court.
Also considered: Zarria Carter, Midwestern State; Michelle Kozicki, West Chester; Olivia Reed, Colorado Mesa; Jada Warren, Georgia College
Center: Emily Chmiel, East Stroudsburg
There is a changing of the guard (well, I guess center) as Pittsburg State’s Karenna Gerber had a stronghold on the position. Her numbers are simply too good and the best at the position. Chmiel is averaging 22.2 points and 12.3 rebounds, all while shooting nearly 52 percent. She double-doubled in all seven of her February games, bringing her total to 22, the second most in DII. The numbers dwarf her 2023-24 season numbers as well as her numbers at Chestnut Hill prior to transferring and the 6-foot-2 center has been on fire.
Also considered: Ni’Kiah Chesterfield, Tusculum; Karenna Gerber, Pittsburg State; Yiibari Nwidadah, Washburn
