Evelyn Perkins, REAL athlete

After finishing the past season with a 5-20 record, the Augsburg women’s basketball team has decided that significant changes are needed to improve its chances of reaching the playoffs next season. Head coach Mallie Doucette discussed the changes fans can expect in October. 

“We are planning to incorporate more specialized player roles next season, so that everyone is aware of what is expected of them,” Doucette said. One of the roles Doucette is most excited about is the half-courter position. 

“In this role, the player will come onto the floor at the end of every quarter to make a final half-court heave, giving us a surge of energy to end each period.” 

Doucette acknowledged that although this is a new approach, she is confident the role will provide the team with the extra help needed to add more wins. When asked who on the team might fill this role, Doucette said, “Thanks to the transfer portal, we’ve found the perfect person for the job. She is going to be an absolute game-changer.” 

The newest addition to the team, Casey Buzzerly, officially committed to Augsburg after spending several weeks in the transfer portal. After graduating from high school in 2024, she spent the past two years overseas, where she perfected her half-court shooting. Buzzerly is set to complete her last two years of college eligibility at Augsburg. 

During her time overseas, Buzzerly was effective, making 10 of 12 career attempts with less than 0.7 seconds remaining. 

“It’s all about maximizing efficiency,” Doucette said. “We saw an opportunity to exploit end-of-game situations and decided to take advantage of it.” 

Team captain Saylor Gallagher shared her thoughts on Buzzerly: “Yeah, she seems great. I mean, I haven’t really seen her do much since she just stands at half court during practice, but she’s really nice.” 

In actual games, the player often substitutes in with two or three seconds left in the period. The player either attempts a half-court shot or does not touch the ball. Despite limited minutes, Buzzerly made a significant impact on her team overseas. She helped increase the team’s

shooting percentage by nearly 400 percent in the final 0.5 seconds of games. Additionally, Buzzerly led the conference in points per millisecond last season. 

“We have high expectations and are excited to see her excel in this role,” Doucette said. Doucette also hedged that the rest of the MIAC conference may begin implementing half-courters of their own. Buzzerly plans to enroll at Augsburg this fall and looks forward to joining the team. 

“I’ve heard a lot of buzz about Minneapolis and Augsburg, and I’m looking forward to getting to explore both during my time here,” Buzzerly said.