HOBART (NBC 26) — On Tuesday afternoon at Thornberry Creek Golf Course, the UW-Green Bay women’s basketball team held its annual fundraiser.
Members of the media had the chance to catch up with head coach Kayla Karius and center Jenna Guyer as they discussed how the team is navigating the loss of seven seniors and the addition of many new faces.
“I think it’s a matter of having all these great ingredients and trying to put together the best final product here on the floor,” Karius said.
The squad has eight newcomers and must replace its starting five. A significant addition from the transfer portal is senior guard Maddy Skorupski from Oakland University, a second-team All-Horizon League player who averaged 16 points per game, the second-most in the conference. Skorupski began her career at Michigan State.
“Just playing against Maddy for the past two years, she was definitely a baller,” Guyer said.
“She told us that she had a very bad feeling every time she approached the Kress Center,” Karius said. “We said we hope that feeling changes because we really want you to come here. We need people who can score.”
Another addition is Hortonville star, point guard Kamy Peppler, who transferred from the University of Milwaukee to spend her final year playing for a winner. Karius called Peppler a "really special player." Last year, she averaged nine points, three rebounds, and four assists per game.
“Our coaching staff has full trust in her that she’s going to help us lead the way,” Karius said. “I think she brings us toughness and such competitiveness. She has such an urgency about her.”
One of last season's starting five, Jasmine Kondrakiewicz, is trading the court for the sidelines as an assistant coach. Karius called the hire a home run.
“I think she just embodies what the Green Bay culture is all about,” Karius said. “As soon as she graduated, I was like, ‘If you’re going to be coaching anywhere, you should definitely be coaching here.’"
A key returner for UW-Green Bay is senior center Jenna Guyer, who averaged seven points per game last season, the most for any returning player. According to Karius, Guyer has really embraced a leadership role.
“Even just with the freshmen, teaching them the Green Bay way and showing them the Green Bay way, it’s been so rewarding to see people step into roles that maybe they weren't thinking they would have to step into,” Guyer said.
