The Atlantic Sun (ASUN) enters 2026-27 as a dramatically reshaped league. Following the June 2025 realignment that meshed the WAC's football schools and five former ASUN members into the rebranded United Athletic Conference, the ASUN's women's basketball membership has been cut from twelve teams to eight, effective July 1, 2026: Bellarmine, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, Lipscomb, North Florida, Queens, Stetson, and West Florida remain. With Eastern Kentucky no longer in the conference, no back-to-back champion will be crowned this season.
The Big Picture
The five departures, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky, North Alabama, and West Georgia, took a large share of the league's proven talent with them to the UAC, and graduation stripped away most of what remained. Of the 2025-26 All-ASUN honorees, nearly every First and Second Team pick either left for the UAC or exhausted eligibility. Reigning ASUN Player of the Year Priscilla Williams of Jacksonville graduated. Stetson lost both its First Team pick, Mary McMillan, and its Second Team pick, Cameron Thomas, and Third Teamers Molly Heard of Lipscomb and Aleah Sorrentino of Stetson departed as well. The two most notable All-ASUN performers who remain in the league are both returners with eligibility left. Jacksonville's Tatum Brown, the 2025-26 ASUN Freshman of the Year and a Third Team All-ASUN pick, and FGCU's Sinai Douglas, also a Third Team selection, both return and are the most notable returning names in the ASUN.
Coaching turnover in the league centered itself at Stetson. After 18 seasons and 318 victories at Stetson, Lynn Bria announced in March that she was stepping away to join the UCF staff, and the Hatters hired Melissa DeVore, who went 96-72 at Division II Coker. Every other head coach in the league returns. The transfer portal was busy this season for every team in the league, which gives the league a sense of intrigue heading into the season with how much shifting there has been across the board. The other major storyline is West Florida itself, as the Argonauts arrive from the Gulf South Conference and, during their three-year NCAA reclassification, are eligible for the ASUN title but not the NCAA Tournament until 2029-30.
Skim Milkey's Predicted 2026-27 Order of Finish
1 - Florida Gulf Coast
2 - Jacksonville
3 - North Florida
4 - Lipscomb
5 - Stetson
6 - Queens
7 - West Florida
8 - Bellarmine
Skim Milkey's Preseason All-Conference Team
Triniti Ralston, G, Bellarmine
Savannah Rowland, G, Bellarmine
Sinai Douglas, G, FGCU
Cerina Rolle, G, FGCU
Karina Gordon, G, FGCU
Denika Lightbourne, G, FGCU
Tatum Brown, G, Jacksonville
Mychal White, G, Jacksonville
Aniah Smith, G, Jacksonville
McKayla Miller, G, Lipscomb
Taliah Lee, F, Lipscomb
Dezuray McGill, F, North Florida
Mya Mayberry, G, North Florida
Brenae Jones-Grant, F, Queens
Janai Jordan, G, West Florida
Florida Gulf Coast
Record: 16-16, 11-7 ASUN (5th, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Raina Harmon, 2nd season, 16-16
Florida Gulf Coast enters 2026-27 as the favorite largely because it's the rare ASUN program bringing back both its system and its core. Raina Harmon went 16-16 in her debut season and reached the WNIT second round while installing a defense-first identity. That defense was elite, as FGCU ranked first in the ASUN in field-goal percentage, third in the league in scoring defense and 48th nationally, and second in the ASUN in three-point percentage defense, which was 10th nationally. With seven returners from Harmon’s first season, the Eagles should open the season further along than any team in the league.
The main key is the return of Sinai Douglas, a Third Team All-ASUN pick who posted 11.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 32 starts in her first season under Harmon. She's joined by veteran captain Cerina Rolle, a Preseason All-ASUN selection last year, and returning starter Karina Gordon. Also back are Jalei Pillow, Shameir Quimby, Airah Lavy and Eve Alexander, giving FGCU continuity at nearly every position.
Harmon's portal class rounds out one of the league's most complete rosters. Denika Lightbourne comes in from FIU, where she played over 20 minutes a game and scored 9.5 points per game. Graca Barbosa, a JUCO guard who averaged 8.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists as a sophomore at Gulf Coast State College, adds some backcourt depth. Lily Zeinstra transfers in from Butler, and Amelia Hobson comes in from North Dakota State, giving the Eagles positional flexibility and rebounding. Freshmen Elle McCulloch and Ari Turla headline the recruiting class.
The offense is the main factor in winning the ASUN this year. This year, FGCU should play with a bit more pace, and they brought in a few players to pack a scoring punch to complement a defense that already ranks among the nation's best. If the Eagles convert their defensive stops into easier offense, they have the highest ceiling in the eight-team ASUN. Quality teams behind them can push them, and will, but FGCU’s returning production puts them at the top of the conference, in my opinion. They have a clear path to win the conference this season, and it’s all going to hinge on how much of an offensive jump they can take after bringing back four starters.
Players to watch: Sinai Douglas, Cerina Rolle, Karina Gordon, Denika Lightbourne
Jacksonville
Record: 24-9, 13-5 ASUN (2nd, tie, NCAA Tournament appearance)
Coach: Special Jennings, 4th season, 49-45
Jacksonville authored the league's best story in 2025-26, riding a 24-9 campaign to the program's first ASUN Tournament title since 2016 and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Special Jennings, entering her fourth season, has overseen a steady climb from 11 to 14 to 24 wins, and the coaching continuity is a real advantage in a league losing so much elsewhere. Her challenge this season is replacing an enormous amount of production.
The biggest departure is Priscilla Williams, the 2025-26 ASUN Player of the Year, who scored 15.1 points a game and grabbed 8.3 rebounds per game. A veteran senior class that fueled the title run also exhausted eligibility or moved on, and Carmaya Bowman, Comari Mitchell, Bailey Burns, and Mariah Knight all left for the transfer portal. This gives Jacksonville a returning roster of about half a dozen kids. As of now, it’s unclear who the exact returners are because Jacksonville hasn't submitted a roster on its website.
What makes Jacksonville a top-two pick anyway is that it returns the most valuable young player in the conference. Tatum Brown, the ASUN Freshman of the Year, led the entire league in steals at 2.3 per game while averaging 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. Alongside her, Mychal White and Aniah Smith return with some starting experience, and Sharmela Reid returns with some starting experience in the frontcourt. Jacksonville also brought in solid transfers, including Rocio Jimenez, a 6-foot-7 transfer from Mississippi State, who could play minutes early. They also added Kelis Grant (Sam Houston State) and A’Yiana Flemings (McNeese State) to the roster.
The season hinges on how quickly Jennings can mold the team together after losing so much talent in the offseason. If Jacksonville brought in any impact freshmen or additional transfers, as what is available online suggests, this team could be very dangerous. I wouldn't expect this group to take that big of a step back, especially with Brown returning to her lead guard duties.
Players to watch: Tatum Brown, Mychal White, Rocio Jimenez, Aniah Smith
North Florida
Record: 9-21, 4-14 ASUN (10th, tie)
Coach: Erika Lambert, 4th season, 23-68
North Florida is the preseason wild card, and I’m putting my faith in them that progress will be made after last season. The Ospreys went just 9-21 and 4-14 a year ago, but that record came from one of the youngest rosters in the country, with three underclassmen starters and four more seeing rotational minutes. The Ospreys return nine players and add four newcomers to the roster for this season, and after a jump last year, I expect them to take another step forward.
The returning group is headlined by all five starters coming back for another year. Dezuray McGill, a 2025-26 ASUN All-Freshman Team selection, returns along with Alonya Waldon, Jamisyn Stinson, Alexa Washington, and Elle Blatchford. Georgi Buzzetti and Karyzma Pierre also return, and with them, 28 combined starts come back. This team has a lot of experience, too, with the return of Megan Verbeeten and Abby Knauff, who played more than 10 minutes per game last season. That is a lot of talent to bring back in one offseason in the current college basketball landscape.
Lambert's four newcomers could fit in and be difference makers this season. Mya Mayberry, an NJCAA Division I Second Team All-American, averaged 10.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 37.2 percent from the perimeter. Brianna Mead, a junior guard from Temple, brings strong experience. Brooke Winchester, a 6-foot forward, arrives from a deep Ball State team that won a MAC title, and freshman Belle Ratliff averaged 18.4 points and 9.6 rebounds as a senior. This is a mixed group of players who have already shown production at the college level, a duo of transfers who should be in line for bigger roles, and a productive freshman.
The formula is clear for this team as a veteran roster: if Mayberry comes in and can be the type of scorer who takes a load off the rest of the starters, and each of last year's starters improves, this team can vault quickly up the conference standings. The Ospreys were not good on the offensive end a year ago, though, and integrating nine returners with four new rotation players takes time. Of all the middle-tier teams, North Florida has the clearest path to a leap up the standings with their continuity.
Players to watch: Dezuray McGill, Mya Mayberry, Jamisyn Stinson, Alonya Waldon
Lipscomb
Record: 10-20, 7-11 ASUN (9th)
Coach: Lauren Sumski, 8th season, 96-110
Lipscomb slipped to 10-20 this past season after the WNIT appearance and now faces the challenge of replacing its leading scorer. Lauren Sumski, entering her eighth season and one of the league's longest-tenured coaches, has kept the Bisons competitive throughout her career, and the expectation is a step back up to the top of the league this year. The graduation of Molly Heard does hurt, as it removes a Third Team All-ASUN forward who did a little of everything.
Heard finished her career third on Lipscomb's all-time scoring list with 1,379 points and averaged 14.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.2 steals in her final season, production that will be difficult to replace. Fellow senior Taylor Bowen, the team's leading rebounder at 7.4 boards to go with 9.1 points, also exhausted her eligibility.
The returning group is led by McKayla Miller, a senior guard who averaged 12.3 points and 5.8 rebounds and now becomes the clear focal point. Sophomore Hope Counts is a defensive anchor, leading the team in blocks at 2.6 per game while chipping in 6.3 points and 5.4 rebounds, and guard Elena Bertrand, who averaged 8.5 points in only 14 games, offers scoring if healthy. Hannah Richardson, Olivia Vinson and Maris Zurliene round out a backcourt-heavy rotation.
Bisons brought in a solid group of transfers and freshmen, and they will be counted on to help the program from day one. Taliah Lee enters as a transfer from Mid-American Christian, an NAIA school, where she averaged 12.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Mia Smith also joins from Mid-American Christian, averaging 9.8 points per game last year. Kennedy Sproule also arrives after having played a limited role at Valparaiso last season. Lexi Primus, Presly Samz, and CC Quigley round out the newcomers as freshmen.
Lipscomb took a step back last season, but they have a solid returning core and have added a lot of talent. Whether or not that proves to be better than last year is yet to be seen, but if history tells us anything, Lipscomb will be right back in the mix this year.
Players to watch: McKayla Miller, Hope Counts, Elena Bertrand, Taliah Lee
Stetson
Record: 20-12, 12-6 ASUN (4th, WNIT appearance)
Coach: Melissa DeVore, 1st season, 0-0 (7th overall, 96-72 career)
Stetson has the widest gap between last year's results and this year's outlook. The Hatters went 20-12 and 12-6 and reached the WNIT in 2025-26, finishing among the top three in the old ASUN, but they lost almost everything that made them good, including their head coach. This might be a reset season in DeLand.
Departures are aplenty, as they lost all five starters and their top five scorers from a season ago. Mary McMillan, a First Team All-ASUN guard, exhausted her eligibility; Second Team pick Cameron Thomas and Third Team forward Aleah Sorrentino also leave, along with graduate contributors Rose Caso and Promise Keshi. On top of the roster losses, Lynn Bria, who led the program for 18 seasons and won 318 games at Stetson, stepped away to join UCF's staff. New coach Melissa DeVore arrives from Division II Coker, where she went 96-72 over six seasons, won South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year in 2025 after a school-record 29-win season, and reached the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
The cupboard isn't bare. DeVore inherits a young core that includes Eva Bradshaw, Jorah Eppley, Candela Garcia-Escribano Pozo, Sierra Driessen, Raven LeXander, and 6-foot-3 Favour Nmecha Anyaele, giving her size and returning experience to build around. The staff also dipped into the portal, grabbing 6-foot-2 forward Sofia Moschen from Bowling Green. The Hatters will likely count on a large freshman class that includes Addison Godby, Zoie Lofton, Desireck Nieves, Heidi Rathmann, and Kieren Smith.
Realistically, this is a transition year even with seven returners. Expecting a first-year coach to replace three All-ASUN players immediately is a tall task, but DeVore's track record shows that she can build winners. Stetson shouldn't have high expectations this year, and anything above a mid-pack finish in a rebuild year should be welcomed.
Players to watch: Eva Bradshaw, Favour Nmecha Anyaele, Jorah Eppley, Sofia Moschen
Queens
Record: 10-20, 4-14 ASUN (10th, tie)
Coach: Jen Brown, 7th season, 35-82
Queens reached double-digit wins again at 10-20, but the Royals enter 2026-27 with one of the most overhauled rosters in the league. Jen Brown, entering her seventh season with a 35-82 Division I record since the program joined the ASUN in 2022, has to rebuild a scoring core almost from scratch after her top perimeter producers departed. That will make things tough for Queens.
The losses run deep. The Royals' leading scorers from a year ago, including Jermany Mapp, Dayuna Colvin, Ana Barreto, Alyssa Lewis, Hannah Hicks, and Magda Freire, are all gone, taking the vast majority of the team's offense with them. That is also six of the eight rotation players from a year ago, which puts Queens in a position to need newcomers to arrive and impact this season.
The returning anchor is Brenae Jones-Grant, a junior forward who is the Royals' leading returning scorer and rebounder at 8.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Sophomore center Breah Franks, who averaged 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, is the other significant returner; beyond that pair, essentially no scoring returns.
Brown reloaded through the portal and internationally, bringing in transfers such as Anisa Akinola from Pace, Makayla Minshall from UC Riverside, Ashantay Noble from Tallahassee Community College, Paulina Reichenauer from LSU-Eunice, Ryan Davis from Fairmont State, Cianna Papineau of Union College, Ahmani Klabunde from Labette Community College, and Mia Moore from Rock Valley College, plus a freshman class featuring Janiya Milligan, Nykira Arrington, Shadeh Preston, and Shira Shani. A few of the incomers have the potential to impact the game right away, but for Queens, they’ll need two or three of them to come in and be very good to stay out of the basement.
Players to watch: Brenae Jones-Grant, Breah Franks, Mia Moore, Ryan Davis
West Florida
Record: 18-12, 13-9 Gulf South
Coach: Stephanie Lawrence Yelton, 15th season, 244-157 (20th overall, 300-241)
West Florida arrives in the ASUN as a Division II transition program after finishing 18-12 last season. Stephanie Lawrence Yelton, in her 15th season, has sustained a strong D-II program, but the jump to Division I comes with a challenge, as they lost their four top scorers from a year ago.
The departures are very tough to handle for a program changing divisions. Co-leading scorers Amelia Bell, who averaged 13.8 points and 8.7 rebounds, and Isabel Grimes, who averaged 13.8 points and 3.4 assists, are both gone. Avery O'Connor, who averaged 9.5 points, and Jakeria Hawkins also departed. With no traditional recruiting class for 2026, Yelton rebuilt largely through the transfer portal.
The leading returning scorer is sophomore guard Janai Jordan, who averaged 7.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, ahead of fellow sophomore Annarose Tyre at 7.0 points per game and sophomore forward Finley Kennedy, who averaged 6.0 points and started 21 games. Seniors Maddy Rendall and Ebba Zalamans provide some depth as returners.
The portal class will define the season. Yelton brought in transfers including Nia Coleman from Mississippi College, Kenzie Wyman from Columbus State, Zaiha Minnis and 6-foot-3 center Giselle Eke, both from Saint Francis (PA), Sinaya Gibson from Wallace State Community College, Kendall Lacoste from West Alabama and Kayla Williams from Northwest Florida State, plus freshman Presley Hughes.
A first-year Division I team that lost its top four scorers and rebuilt almost entirely through the portal is unlikely to finish anywhere but the lower third. Yelton has the experience to beat that expectation against a thinned-out league, but a good result for West Florida this season would be a finish anywhere but last place.
Players to watch: Janai Jordan, Annarose Tyre, Finley Kennedy, Nia Coleman
Bellarmine
Record: 2-30, 0-18 ASUN (12th)
Coach: Monique Reid, 2nd season, 2-30
Bellarmine endured a hard 2025-26, going 2-30 and 0-18 in ASUN play in Monique Reid's first season after she was promoted following Chancellor Dugan's retirement. The Knights were competitive in flashes but were routinely overwhelmed, absorbing several 50-plus-point losses to high-major nonconference opponents and closing the year with a 94-28 defeat to FGCU. However, the season results don't tell the whole story: leading scorer Trinity Ralston played only 10 games last year before suffering a season-ending injury in early December, and Miyah Brown, who averaged 9.6 points per game in 2024-25, missed the whole season due to injury. Reid, entering her second season, is trying to establish a foundation on a roster that has seen heavy turnover.
Brown entered the portal this offseason and will head to UIC. The team was hit hard by other transfers; in total, six players entered the portal, including three who scored more than six points a game last year. After transfers and graduations, Bellarmine was left with just six players on the roster.
The clear returning bright spot is Triniti Ralston, a senior guard who, before a season-ending injury limited her to 10 games, averaged team highs of 13.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Junior forward Kayce Hyman, who averaged 5.9 points and 3.2 rebounds, is the most established of the remaining returners; beyond that pair, the group consists of Anna Rodgers, Haya Abdel Aal, Olivia Pifer, and Hana Abdel Aal, all players who have various amounts of returning production spanning from medically redshirting to playing a big role in the rotation.
Bellarmine brings in a mix of newcomers this season, with three freshmen and five transfers. The freshman class is comprised of Leigha Acoff, Emma Holtzapfel, and Tristan Shivers. The prize of the transfer class is Savannah Rowland, who averaged 12.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.6 steals per game at Lemoore College. The addition of 6-foot-5 Tacko Sy from Chipola College will provide a boost down low. Kaylyn Lelie (Monroe), Coumba Keïta (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), and Kellyn Hunter (Washburn) round out the transfer class and will have the ability to impact the team early on.
Realistically, Bellarmine is again projected in the bottom third. A thin roster and a still-developing rebuild don't add up to a likely climb in 2026-27. The season will be measured less by wins than by whether Reid can continue to build around a healthy Ralston, add portal and freshman reinforcements for next year, and establish the competitive habits that a program in Bellarmine's position needs before it can climb to the upper half in ASUN play. I expect more than two wins for this program this season, but it’s set up to be another tough season.
Players to watch: Triniti Ralston, Kayce Hyman, Savannah Rowland, Tacko Sy
ASUN Round-Up
The FGCU and Jacksonville duo sits atop a league that otherwise turned over almost completely. The Eagles' elite defense and continuity versus the Dolphins' returning Freshman of the Year set up as the season's central rivalry in the conference. North Florida could be a dark horse. Stetson's transition under new coach Melissa DeVore, replacing three All-ASUN players and an 18-year head coach in one offseason, is one of the year's defining storylines, and West Florida's Division I debut, built almost entirely through the portal, is a wild card that could have a huge effect on the conference standings. With so much All-ASUN talent gone to the UAC and to graduation, the individual awards race is wide open behind Tatum Brown and Sinai Douglas.
Editor's Note:
Records and conference standings reflect the final 2025-26 ASUN regular season. Player stats reflect 2025-26 production, unless noted. All eight rosters have been confirmed against official, live 2026-27 team pages as of September 4th. Coaching and roster notes reflect known offseason moves as of September 4th. Roster additions may shift rosters before the season opens in November and may affect the order as of this writing.
Check out the previous conference previews: America East, American
