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BROOKINGS — At 16-5 overall and 9-0 in Summit League play, things are going well for South Dakota State's women's basketball team.
There's just one problem. And it's one of those good problems.
What to do at point guard?
Paige Meyer emerged last year as one of the most exciting young players in the Summit League, averaging 10.4 points as a freshman while shooting .528/.534/.840 before suffering a major knee injury just before the postseason.
In the offseason, the Jacks acquired Dru Gylten in the transfer portal, and the former Pac-12 assists leader has run the offense with a steady hand. A pass-first distributor, Gylten leads the team with 72 assists, has a 2-to-1 assist/turnover ratio and as a senior with major conference experience, was the perfect person to step in with Meyer out.
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But now Meyer is back, and steadily working her way back to her old self. She's averaging 8.7 points, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals while shooting .509 from the floor coming off the bench, where she's played 18.3 minutes a game.
So what's the plan, Aaron Johnston?
"The plan is continue to move forward with what we're doing," the coach said. "It's more than just who the starter is. It's how do they impact what's going on around them. How do we make sure the best combination, the best lineups, are on the floor at the same time. Dru has been the starter and we expect her to continue in that world, but we've talked about what it would look like with Paige in the starting lineup. They're both gonna play a lot and have big roles for us."
Meyer scored a season-high 16 points in SDSU's last game, in a season-high 25 minutes. It's likely she's only going to get better, both as she continues to build strength and confidence in her leg, and as she gains more experience as a still-young player. And Gylten's play, not to mention the contributions of freshmen Madison Mathiowetz and Ellie Colbeck (who have both struggled as shooters but otherwise been encouraging), means Johnston can afford to be patient with Meyer.
Of course, the Jacks can play both Gylten and Meyer at the same time. Johnston wants to do that — but not too much.
"That lineup has been good, but when you play them together you're taking what makes them good away from one of them, and that's having the ball in their hands, distributing," Johnston said. "Can we play with both of them? Sure, but it takes that away. That's why tight ends don't play quarterback and vice versa. They have to be in their skillset. There will be times we need that lineup and times we need just one of them on the floor, too."
SDSU hosts St. Thomas on Thursday and Western Illinois on Saturday.
