When the Florida State women’s basketball team hits the court for the first time in an exhibition game against Alabama on Oct. 16, it will be the first glimpse of a new-look, transfer-filled roster for the 2025-26 season.

Coach Brooke Wyckoff put a priority on transfers with power conference experience as she rebuilt the team following the transfer of Ta’Niya Latson (South Carolina) and the graduation of two All-ACC players (Makayla Timpson and O’Mariah Gordon). That’s a ton of lost points – 58.6 points per game — as well as FSU’s leading rebounder in Timpson and top distributors in Latson and Gordon.

In rebuilding the roster Wyckoff said she leaned not just on the assistant coaches but also FSU’s three returning players: Sydney Bowles, Amaya Bonner and Avery Treadwell. Bowles and Bonner joined Wyckoff on Monday at the ACC Women’s Basketball Tipoff in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday.

“These two, along with Avery Treadwell, who's another one of our returners, they're our team captains,” Wyckoff said. “And after the season, they took it upon themselves to say, ‘Hey, we want to be here. We're committed to Florida State, and we're going to help recruit our teammates.’ And they did that, and they worked their tails off, and what resulted was a group of women that were aligned with what they were looking for culturally as well (as) personalities.

“And so what we're seeing is the result of these two and Avery Treadwell and their work to do that and to build a great team. I'm so proud of them, and I hope they're having a lot of fun.”

Veteran players often are a team’s best recruiters. We’ll see just how good as the season begins in November, but it’s a team that likely won’t be firing on all cylinders until well into January and February considering all of the new pieces. But FSU emphasized experience and landed a wealth of talent.

FSU brought in Allie Kubek (Maryland), Jasmine Shavers (Texas Tech), Sole Williams (Texas A&M) and Tatum Greene (Boston College). Wyckoff also signed 6-foot-6 Australian center Pania Davis, a junior college star, and high school guard Mari Gerton.

Kubek averaged 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds at Maryland last season while making 67.3 percent of her shots from inside the arc. She helped Maryland to the Sweet 16 in 2024-25.

Shavers averaged 14.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists at Texas Tech.

Williams averaged 7.6 points and 2.3 rebounds at Texas A&M. She was teammates with Bowles at Texas A&M in 2023-24.

Greene averaged 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds as a freshman at Boston College. She made 48.5 percent of her 3-point shots.

“It is an exciting group that has amazing chemistry on and off the court,” Wyckoff said. “But we're still going to be who we are and who we've been — which is playing fast, scoring a lot of points and getting after it on the defensive end. So we've been showing that. We’ve got a ways to go still, but that's what preseason is for. It's going to be an exciting team to watch.”

While Treadwell (2.8 points, 2.2 rebounds) and Bonner (3.4 points, 2.6 rebounds) will find roles off the bench, Bowles scored 10.6 points and pulled down 2.8 rebounds while starting in 18 of FSU’s 33 games last season. Bowles has also improved as a 3-point shooter, making 34.7 percent of her shots from beyond the arc.

“The consistency just comes from my trust that the coaches have in me and my teammates having in me, day in and day out,” Bowles said. “Sometimes the ball isn't going in the hoop. But they just tell us, ‘Next play.’ They'll be more mad if we don't shoot the ball. That's just your dream as a college athlete. And I'm just super, super happy to have the support system that I have that on my high days, I'm celebrating. And on my low days, they're picking me up and just reminding me that this is what you can do and to continue to do that.”

FSU opens with the exhibition at Alabama on Oct. 16 and then returns home for a second preseason matchup against Tampa on Oct. 28. The Seminoles open the regular season against Florida A&M on Nov. 3.

Wyckoff loves to push the ball up the court and shoot quickly, often before a defense can even get settled in. That helps the Seminoles get some quick, easy baskets. But the question can also be asked: How long will it take the Seminoles, with all of their new pieces, to settle in?

“There's a learning curve,” Wyckoff said. “We definitely took our time in the recruiting process to make sure that the players we were bringing in fit what we want to do, how we want to play. Before they even came on a visit, we knew that they were capable of being great scorers, of getting after it on the defensive end. That being said, they have to learn a new system. And so we have experienced players that have Power 4 games under their belt. They're getting it and they're getting comfortable in it. By February, we should be rolling and scoring more and more points.”

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