Frosh trio impacts winning ways

She is a Grand Canyon freshman earning and executing a larger role to help a winning program.

She is any one of a Lopes guard trio.

While building a 13-5 record this season, the GCU women's basketball team entrusted three freshmen with tasks taking talent and roles requiring resolve.

Lopes guards Ja'Mya Powell-Smith (17.6), Naudia Evans (15.7) and Kiyley Flowers (15.7) are each averaging at least 15 minutes this season. Kansas State (16-5) and South Dakota (18-4) are the only other programs in the nation that have posted a better record while playing three freshmen at least 15 minutes per game this season.

"From Day 1 when they stepped on campus, they were committed," GCU head coach Molly Miller said. "The nice thing was that they had an idea of my brand beforehand. They knew they fit the style. If you have buy-in and you're anxious to fit the style and you're all in, then you're going to have a lot of success immediately.

"That's kind of been a theme of my past programs. Freshmen play early because we play so hard that we need to have subs and bodies available. That's a testament of them doing what they need to do to contribute to the team."

The Missouri-bred trio is an asset to Miller's defensive pressure-oriented system, cumulatively contributing 4.4 steals per game to the Lopes' nation-leading average of 14.3 per game.

Freshmen do more than play on a team that is in second place entering Monday's 6 p.m. home showdown with WAC leader Stephen F. Austin. Powell-Smith and Evans are starting for GCU and Flowers leads the team in steals per game (2.4).

JaMya Powell-Smith Headshot

"I came in and was going to work hard and get better to show I can play at this level," Powell-Smith said. "I never doubted myself.

"I've always come from coaches who believed in me, so it was really nice for Coach to not know me and want to come play. I worked hard in practices and showed that I'm in tune to what she's doing. I'm following her. I'm just there. I'm ready. This is where I'm supposed to be."

Powell-Smith's responsibility has grown with the departure of last year's starting point guard and an in-season injury to Taylor Caldwell. After battling through an early-season foot injury, Powell-Smith is averaging 25.1 minutes in conference play with the team riding a five-game winning streak since the 5-foot-5 Kansas City native entered the starting lineup.

"Ja'Mya has been a great point guard for us, being able to be one of our consistent players who can take someone off the bounce, get deep penetration in the lane and make those good decisions," Miller said.

Like Powell-Smith, Flowers did not have playing time come easily because of health issues, but the 5-foot-7 guard defined her role defensively with an ever-revving motor that Miller said sparks the team. Also a Kansas City-area native from Independence, Flowers' role has grown recently to average 23.3 minutes and 3.0 steals over the past four games.

Kiyley Flowers Headshot

"I've always thought about it like, 'OK, you want me to go out there and do this, so I'm either going to exceed your expectations or give you what you want,' " Flowers said.

Evans' season has been a slow build. She had low or no minutes in some early games, but the 5-foot-6 Waynesville, Missouri, native broke into the starting lineup for the past 10 games with her shooting ability and her reliability.

"Naudia does everything we ask her," Miller said. "If we tell her to shot fake and aggressive square, she is going to do that every time she catches the ball. You know you're going to get consistency out of her."

The team needed every bit of her 12-point, eight-rebound, six-assist, three-steal performance in a 73-72 overtime win against Lamar earlier this month.

Naudia Evans Headshot

"I found a role bringing a lot of energy," Evans said. "I think people like to play with me because I share the ball well and take good shots. A starting position opened up and I slid in there and fit right in.

"A lot of people can say they were starting as a freshman, but then you look at the record and the stats and it wasn't looking that good. When you're on a winning team and you're a freshman and you're starting, OK, you must be kind of nice. A little bit."

Evans is right. Of the 43 Division I teams with three freshmen playing at least 15 minutes, 40 have lesser records than GCU's 13-5 mark.

"I'm glad I'm not a freshman who goes in when we're up 30 points," Powell-Smith said. "It's more impactful when you're able to play when we're down one point in the final minutes. It just means so much more to be out there and feel like I'm making an impact."

Each of the freshmen know how valuable this time is for more than the personal growth in their careers. Their experiences and examples will help make them relatable to each incoming class that follows them.

"They'll be able to look to us and that'll help the bond within the team to become closer early in the season," Flowers said. "At the beginning of our sophomore year, it'll be like, 'We've already done it. How can we progress?' "

Miller is moving up that timeline for the freshmen's improvement to now. The Lopes are in the WAC regular-season title race after reaching the WAC Tournament championship game for the program's first time in Miller's debut season.

"I told them at the start of the second semester, 'You're not freshmen any more. You've got to figure this out,' " Miller said. "And they did that. They have to play with confidence."

Grand Canyon University Athletics

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