Transfer departures forced Purdue women's basketball to build on the fly. Now, the Boilermakers may be turning a corner with retainable roster.
WEST LAFAYETTE — Rashunda Jones casually walked onto Gene Keady Court as her name echoed throughout Mackey Arena during starting lineup introductions, just as she did numerous times a season ago.
Only this time, Jones was representing visiting Michigan State and not Purdue women's basketball, where she spent her first two collegiate seasons.
Thursday is the second team the Boilermakers faced this season with a player who was on Purdue's roster a season ago. In the past three seasons, Purdue has lost 11 players who transferred elsewhere, including a former Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
A new era of college athletics, though, may be a great equalizer for a once powerhouse program looking to revitalize its past.
"I understand that we were not advantaged during the NIL period of time when NIL on its own in its previous iteration was not good for Purdue women's basketball," Purdue athletic director Mike Bobinski said during a media roundtable on Jan. 9. "Our donor base did not respond and provide resources."
Now, with revenue sharing allowing college athletics programs to distribute more than $20 million among sports to build rosters as they see fit, coach Katie Gearlds now has a more level landscape, enough resources, Bobinski said, to return to prominence.
Entering this season, Purdue returned just three players from last season's team: junior guard McKenna Layden along with sophomore posts Kendall Puryear and Lana McCarthy. Madison Layden-Zay, a fifth-year senior, returned after a year away from the program.
Layden-Zay is the only current Boilermaker whose eligibility will exhaust after this season, assuming senior transfer Taylor Feldman can receive a medical waiver after missing this season with a back injury.
"I think the future is bright," Layden-Zay said after Purdue's 86-65 loss to Michigan State on Thursday. "But we just have to stick with it."
Gearlds built an entire roster, withholding a portion of the revenue share allotted for women's basketball in the process, with six transfers and three freshmen.
The finally developing continuity is starting to show in results, aside from a lopsided first half Thursday and a lackluster showing in portions of games at USC and UCLA. Otherwise, since the calendar flipped to 2026, Gearlds has been mostly pleased with a stretch that includes a hard-fought loss at Nebraska and wins at Wisconsin, against a then-ranked Washington team and rival Indiana.
"I feel like it has just taken us some time to jell together because I do kind of feel like we've turned a corner in what we're trying to do," Gearlds said.
On Thursday, Purdue was doomed by eight first quarter turnovers. The winner was essentially determined by halftime, but still Gearlds challenged her team to compete in the second half.
Purdue scored 42 second half points.
"We're trying to overcome adversity quicker and better," said freshman Avery Gordon, who earned her first career start Thursday and scored a game-high 20 points. "Just moving forward, a way we can definitely get better and a way we can improve over the season is just turning the page faster. Tonight, obviously, it didn't go according to plan or how we wanted it to go.
"Moving forward, to get better, we've got to turn the page and keep working hard."
Purdue fell to 11-10 after Thursday's loss and the Boilermakers are clinging to a hopeful spot in the Big Ten Tournament.
The future may be promising, if the Boilers can retain who they want, and with some additional revenue dollars to dangle.
Right now though, Gearlds isn't jumping ahead.
"There's no building for the future," Gearlds said. "We're trying to win ball games right now. I like this group. It's probably been one of the most fun, most competitive groups I've been around."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Despite Michigan State loss, Purdue women's basketball turning corner
Category: General Sports
