FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 2, 2022) – As the Northern Arizona women's basketball gears up for the 2022-23 season, looking to make another deep run at the Big Sky Tournament in Boise, Idaho in March, it will do so with a pair of newcomers who know their way around winning championships in Idaho.
Freshman guard
Audrey Taylor and freshman forward
Sophie Glancey committed to Northern Arizona last fall before leading Timberline High School to an Idaho Class 5A State Championship win over Boise High School in the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa.
The two reunited in Flagstaff after making their official visit at the same time, but were shocked to hear they both committed to joining Lumberjack head coach
Loree Payne's roster.
Both from Boise, their friendship spans back to their childhoods when they connected beyond basketball.
"Her dad was my first basketball coach and then my dad was her soccer coach," Glancey said. "So, we kind of had that interesting dynamic there. Automatically if you're going to play on a team with someone for so long, you're going to be really close."
Despite coming from the same school and committing just two days apart from one another, the two were not a package deal when it came to recruiting. Instead, it was sheer coincidence that the guard/forward duo would don the same uniform yet again.
"We really didn't want each other to impact our decisions," Taylor said. "Obviously it would have been to play together, but we wanted each other to choose the school because we personally liked it as well. I actually did not tell her when I committed."
Once both players received an offer, they planned their official visits together. While on campus in Flagstaff, Glancey said she was sold and thought Taylor would go somewhere else.
Glancey, who committed after Taylor, did not know about her friend's choice to come to Northern Arizona until she called Payne to declare her own commitment.
"I called to commit and [Loree] says 'Did you hear the good news? Audrey committed.' And I was like 'What!? I didn't know that.' Loree was like 'Don't tell her then. She was probably keeping it a secret.'," Glancey said.
A big reason for their commitments was the Big Sky Tournament is played at Idaho Central Arena in Boise every March. With the conference extending the agreement through 2026, it gives the two a chance for them to play postseason basketball in their hometown.
Having already committed to Northern Arizona, Taylor and Glancey had the chance to watch the Lumberjacks make it to the Big Sky Championship Game in person.
"It was definitely a factor," Taylor said. "I was really excited when I heard their contract renewed because it meant my parents were guaranteed to see at least a few games every year."
Glancey shared the same sentiment, seeing the conference as the perfect place to continue her career and play at home.
"I wanted to play in the Big Sky in general just because of that," Glancey said. "I always went to the tournament when I was really young. My family is really supportive of me and my basketball career, so they're really excited about being able to come watch."
The Big Sky Conference holds two teams in Idaho, with Idaho State in Pocatello and the University of Idaho in Moscow. Both players explored staying in their home state, but wanted to branch out and explore playing away from home, and Flagstaff provided just that.
"Idaho is a small state," Taylor said. "I've experienced it. I wanted to experience somewhere else. That definitely gave NAU the edge. NAU was the nicest Big Sky campus I'd been on."
Glancey received an offer from Idaho and had an opportunity to visit Idaho State. Her decision was a tough one to make, as she has had a lot of her family go to Idaho.
"U of I, for me, was a big family legacy school," Glancey said. "My dad went there, my mom went there, my grandparents all went there. Everyone in my family went and goes to U of I, my cousins, everyone. There was definitely a big legacy pull there."
Glancey said her dad, Christopher, really wanted her to go play for the Vandals when she was offered a scholarship. However, Glancey wanted a new environment away from home.
By choosing Northern Arizona, she has the opportunity to be somewhere different while still going close to home for road games against the two Idaho schools and the conference tournament.
"The U of I culture and atmosphere were kind of similar to my high school team," Glancey said. "I wanted something different… I think NAU has a more diverse culture than anywhere in Idaho, so I think just that alone was big just to get out of my comfort zone a little."
Even though she went to a conference rival, her parents were still supportive of her decision, even if her dad was questionable at first. Glancey said she feels she fits in better as a Lumberjack, and her parents saw that.
While the two won a state title during their senior year, they fell just short in their sophomore season. The Timberline Wolves lost in the championship game to the Mountain View High School Mavericks of Meridian, Idaho. Taylor and Glancey took that experience from 2020 and turned it into a championship two years later. The Lumberjacks look to have a similar pattern after falling in the Big Sky Championship game to Montana State last March.
Taylor and Glancey, who were in attendance at the tournament last season, got a chance to see their future team in action.
"Everyone played super free," Taylor said about the Lumberjacks in the Big Sky Tournament. "Everyone was just trusting of each other. You could just feel the chemistry between the team. Everyone was just playing with complete freedom."
The Lumberjacks will open the 2022-23 season in Tempe against Arizona State on Nov. 7 and in Tucson against Arizona on Nov. 10. Northern Arizona's home opener follows three days later against UC San Diego on Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. MST in the Rolle Activity Center. Glancey and Taylor return to their home state with games against the Idaho Vandals on Jan. 19 and at the Idaho State Bengals on Feb. 6.
