The CSUN women’s basketball team will be featuring a new head coach and almost an entirely new roster as they head into the 2024-25 season. The Matadors will look to put behind them an abysmal year last season, where they finished with a 3-27 record.

At the conclusion of the season on March 15, CSUN made the move to relieve Carlene Mitchell of her duties as the head coach. A little over a month later, CSUN Athletic Director Shaun Chin-Farrell announced the hiring of Angie Ned as the new head coach of the program.

Roster Breakdown

Ned understands the work she has in front of her. The players she recruited and even herself, all in a new environment trying to piece together the foundation of Ned’s vision for the program.

“Just being able to lead such a unique group of girls, who are coming in on the same level,” Ned said. “New environment, new opportunities, with an amazing drive and work ethic to just get things done…it’s obviously been a lot of work, but that’s a part of the process and for us we’re excited about the journey.”

Out of the 13 players on the roster last season, only guard Erica Adams and forward Alondra Lizama returned back to CSUN for Ned’s inaugural year. Adams was the team’s second leading scorer last season and is poised to be one of the top offensive pieces for the Matadors this season.

Out of the 11 newcomers, a junior college transfer figures to find a role in the rotation thanks to her range from behind the arc. Kelly Tumlin, a guard who transferred in from Chabot College, spent the last two seasons averaging 17.6 points per game while shooting 35.6% from behind the arc. Tumlin is tied for most points in a game in Chabot’s history and owns the record of most three point field goals made. Adams and Tumlin both prepped at the high school level together, playing at California High School in northern California.

An experienced forward that Ned brought back to the Big West through the transfer portal, Nnenna Orji comes to Northridge by way of Old Dominion University. Orji, a southern California native, originally signed with Hawai’i out of high school before transferring to Old Dominion after three years in Manoa. The graduate transfer has played in 105 games and has made 15 starts in her four year career. Orji will serve as one of the senior leaders for a team that has a good blend of youth and experience.

Ned brought in four freshmen in addition to the seven transfers. Yves Cox, a 6-foot-2 center, stands out, literally and figuratively among the freshmen. Karsen Marshall, a 5-foot-8 guard hails from Ontario Christian High School, one of the best programs in the state. Marshall should be in the mix for playing time this season as well.

Schedule Breakdown

Asking for a winning season right away will not be an easy task, especially with the schedule that Ned was dealt. However, it can be done as proven last year by CSUN men’s basketball coach Andy Newman, who flipped the men’s program around in his first season, going from seven wins to 19.

CSUN is facing a difficult schedule in Ned’s first year, but have been lucky enough to obtain four home non-conference games, a rarity at the mid-major level.

“As I was finishing the schedule it was a matter of finding teams that were available because it was really late, and also teams that were gonna help us prepare for the Big West conference,” Ned mentioned. “We want to be pushed and wanna be challenged. We want to see where we are and make sure we have the opportunity to continue to develop before the conference begins.”

Ned’s debut as the Matadors’ head coach will come on Nov. 4 when La Sierra, a non-Division I opponent, heads to the Premier America Credit Union Arena. The team will catch a flight a few days later on Nov. 9 to Utah State, one of the three teams the Matadors beat last season.

It won’t get much tougher for the Matadors than taking on USC’s three-headed monster of Juju Watkins, Kiki Iriafen, and Talia von Oelheffen as CSUN will be visiting the Trojans on Nov. 12 at the Galen Center.

Ned’s squad will make their way up north and take on a pair of Mountain West schools in Fresno State and San Jose State on Nov. 22 and Nov. 24 respectively. They will finish up Thanksgiving week with a home game against Pepperdine on Nov. 27.

The Matadors will see California Baptist come to Northridge on Dec. 11, another big test for CSUN as the Lancers made an appearance in the 2024 NCAA tournament after winning the WAC’s postseason tournament. It will also be a reunion for Ned as she spent 10 seasons at CBU in different coaching capacities.

CSUN will wrap up their non-conference schedule on Dec. 21 when Idaho travels to Northridge for one last tune-up before Big West play ramps up.

Facing a projected last place finish according to the Big West conference preseason coaches poll, the odds are stacked against the Matadors going into conference play.

CSUN will have to endure through a tough month in January where they will play five of the preseason top six teams in the conference. During that period, Ned will have another homecoming of sorts this season as she returns to her alma mater at UC Irvine on Jan. 9 for the first time as a head coach.

February and March get much easier for the Matadors, but with the amount of talent and experience coming back to the conference, life in the Big West will figure to be a challenge. A challenge that Ned will have to successfully navigate as she prepares for the future in Northridge.