The first year under Blanche Alverson gave the University of San Diego something to build on.

Now comes the challenge of continuing it.

USD finished Alverson’s first season 11-22 overall and 4-14 in West Coast Conference play. The record alone did not put the Toreros near the top of the conference, but it represented progress for a program that won seven games and went 2-18 in WCC play the year before.

Picked to finish 11th in the 12-team conference, USD added four wins overall, doubled its WCC win total and closed the regular season with a win over Pacific before defeating Saint Mary’s in the opening round of the WCC Tournament.

There were also signs of what Alverson wants her program to become.

The Toreros were physical around the basket and one of the WCC’s better rebounding teams. They finished with a plus-4.2 rebounding margin and averaged 13.6 offensive rebounds per game, ranking second in the conference. USD also held opponents to 39.6% shooting.

But Alverson’s second team will not look exactly like her first.

The Toreros lost several experienced players, including Hallie and Jayden Rhodes, Helen Holley, Dresha Moore and Malia Tharpe. Some of that turnover takes away the size and rebounding that helped define USD last season.

In their place comes a young roster. USD enters 2026-27 with just one player classified as a senior, alongside two graduate students. The rest of the roster consists of freshmen, sophomores and juniors.

Fortunately for the Toreros, two of their most productive players are among that young core.

Kylie Ray emerged as USD’s leading scorer during Alverson’s first season.

Ray averaged 15.9 points and 5.4 rebounds while earning All-WCC Second Team honors. She shot 89.5% from the free-throw line and elevated her scoring to 17.1 points per game during conference play.

And she is only entering her junior season.

Alongside her is Olivia Owens, who quickly established herself during her freshman campaign. Owens averaged 11.3 points and 5.5 rebounds overall, with those numbers climbing to 12.6 points and 6.6 rebounds during WCC play. She also led the Toreros in assists and steals and earned a spot on the WCC All-Freshman Team.

Having two returning double-digit scorers gives Alverson a starting point as she reshapes the rest of the rotation. Alverson called the two arguably the best returning backcourt in its conference, noting that they are “pretty special to watch.”

Eva Ruse also returns after becoming one of USD’s strongest rebounders. She averaged 5.7 points and 6.3 rebounds during conference play, including more than three offensive rebounds per game.

But USD will need more than its returning production.

The Toreros lost players who provided scoring, experience and physicality throughout Alverson’s first season.

The departures of Hallie and Jayden Rhodes close a chapter in USD’s backcourt.

Hallie Rhodes leaves the larger statistical hole.

She averaged 10.8 points and 3.4 rebounds during WCC play while logging more than 30 minutes per game, becoming another reliable scoring option behind Ray and Owens.

Her impact was particularly clear when USD finally reached the postseason.

Seeded 11th in the WCC Tournament, the Toreros defeated No. 10 Saint Mary’s 66-62 behind a game-high 22 points from Rhodes and a 19-point, 10-rebound double-double from Ray. The victory gave Alverson her first conference tournament win at USD before the Toreros fell to San Francisco the following day.

Jayden Rhodes did not carry the same offensive role as her sister but still appeared regularly in the rotation, giving USD another experienced guard.

Together, the sisters were two of the older players on a roster that will now skew considerably younger.

Replacing Hallie’s scoring will be important. Replacing the experience that walked out the door with both sisters could be just as significant.

The Rhodes sisters are not USD’s only notable departures.

Holley, Moore and Tharpe are also gone, taking several frontcourt options with them.

Holley was particularly valuable on the glass. During conference play, she averaged 3.8 rebounds in just 18.5 minutes per game, with nearly half of her rebounds coming on the offensive end. Moore added another 3.1 rebounds per game in conference play despite averaging fewer than 13 minutes.

Their departures matter because rebounding was one of the clearest strengths USD established in Alverson’s first season.

The Toreros averaged 39.4 rebounds compared with 35.3 for their opponents. Their 13.6 offensive rebounds per game ranked second in the WCC, and their plus-4.2 rebounding margin ranked third in the conference.

“Last year, we identified our rebounding ability to be one of our strengths and sometimes that was our best offense,” Alverson said. “While we will continue to put pressure on the boards, we do have goals to make our offense operate much more efficiently this year. Defense rebounding is also one of the most important areas of the defensive end of the floor. You can defend extremely well, but if you can't finish plays with rebounds then it either gives your opponent another offensive opportunity or it slows down your offensive break and forces you to play in the half court.” 

Now Alverson must maintain that strength with a somewhat different frontcourt.

Ruse returns at 6-foot-2, while 6-foot Owens was already one of the team’s better rebounders from the guard position. But the newcomers could also be important.

Freshman Kate Danner gives USD another 6-foot-2 forward. Kiera Pemberton and Braelynn Barnett are listed at 6-foot-1, while graduate transfer Sammie Wagner is a 6-foot-1 guard/forward.

USD still has size, but the makeup of that size has changed.

Whether the Toreros can remain one of the conference’s better rebounding teams despite the turnover could be one of the biggest indicators of how quickly this new roster comes together.

Calling USD young does not necessarily mean calling it inexperienced.

Pemberton is the lone senior on the roster, but she arrives with several years of Division I experience after stops at North Dakota and Baylor. Wagner, one of USD’s two graduate students, previously played at Texas and Oregon.

Barnett arrives from Georgetown as a sophomore, while Danner and international guard Rosalie Esser enter as freshmen.

Those additions join a returning group that is itself relatively young.

Ray, Ruse and Lilly Amor are juniors. Owens, Jessica Ajayi, Ryanne Bahnsen-Price and Ayla Williams are sophomores.

That gives Alverson an interesting balance in her second season.

Pemberton and Wagner could help immediately, but much of the core that could determine the program’s trajectory over the next several seasons.

That makes 2026-27 about more than simply improving on 11 wins.

It is another opportunity for Alverson to establish which players will become the foundation of the program she is building.

For all the progress USD made in Alverson’s first season, there is an obvious area where another step could change the Toreros considerably.

They need more offense.

USD averaged 57.5 points per game last season while opponents averaged 63.8. The Toreros shot 36.1% from the floor and 26.9% from three. They also averaged 17.3 turnovers compared with just 10 assists per game.

Those numbers provide a clear contrast with the success USD had on the glass.

“We really need to clean up our turnovers, our shooting efficiency and our shot selection,” Alverson said. “We can be one of the best transition offensive teams in our league, but have to take care of the ball and take much better shots.”

The Toreros often created second opportunities through offensive rebounds but did not consistently convert enough possessions into points.

Ray and Owens give USD two proven scorers, but Hallie Rhodes’ departure removes another double-digit scoring threat from conference play.

Who becomes the third option?

Pemberton has previously shown an ability to score at the Division I level. Ruse provides an interior option. Younger returners could earn expanded roles, while Wagner, Barnett, Danner and Esser add more possibilities.

The answer may not need to come from one player.

If USD can get more production throughout the rotation, take better care of the basketball and become more efficient from the perimeter while maintaining its rebounding advantage, the Toreros could look considerably different offensively in Alverson’s second year.

USD does not enter Alverson’s second season as a finished product.

That might be the point.

Her first season produced measurable progress. 

Year two presents a different challenge.

The roster is younger, and several newcomers will need to find their place in Alverson’s rotation. Experienced transfers add another layer around a roster whose core still has room to grow.

The next step does not necessarily have to be defined by one number.

“We're super versatile,” said Alverson. “We have the ability to go bigger with length and size or go small and fast. I think that makes us dangerous as an opponent and really fun to watch.”

For USD, progress could show itself in a more efficient offense, fewer turnovers, continued strength on the glass and a young core becoming more comfortable carrying larger roles.

“We have a tough non-conference schedule and I love that we're being tested early,” Alverson said. “We don't need to be playing our best basketball in November, but we need to be put in positions to expose how we can continue to improve and get better every game. That's going to be our focus in non-conference and focus on what we need to do to achieve the goals we have for this season.”

Mark your calendars for these interesting matchups. 

Nov. 7 vs. UC San Diego. Bill Walton Classic: One of the most anticipated local games on USD’s schedule will take place away from the Jenny Craig Pavilion. USD and UCSD meet at Pechanga Arena in the inaugural Bill Walton Classic. Beyond the local matchup, it gives the Toreros an early test against a program that has quickly established itself at the Division I level. Purchase tickets here. Women’s game starts at 3 p.m.. Men’s game (SDSU vs. Colorado) tips at 12:30 p.m. PT.

Nov. 17 at Arizona State: A road game against a major-conference opponent should give USD an early measuring stick. It also comes just five games into the season, when Alverson could still be determining how her younger roster and newcomers fit together.

Nov. 21 vs. UC Irvine: UC Irvine shared the Big West regular-season championship with UC San Diego last season, giving the Toreros another opportunity to face an accomplished Southern California program during nonconference play, this time at home. Purchase tickets here.

Dec. 31 vs. Saint Mary’s: USD’s WCC home opener comes with a familiar opponent. The Toreros’ final victory of last season came against Saint Mary’s in the first round of the WCC Tournament, with Hallie Rhodes scoring 22 points. This time, USD will have to find that production elsewhere as it begins its second conference season under Alverson. Purchase tickets here.

Top photo: Credit to USD Athletics