12 New Faces, One Identity: Tricia Cullop’s Cooking Up Grit, Rage, & a Full-Court Press

No one ranked them. No one knows them. But Miami Women’s Hoops is building something mean — and maybe a little sweet too.

It’s not a stretch or a far cry to say the Miami Hurricanes are ready to take a bigger leap than last season, and Tricia Cullop is leading the way for this program.

First and foremost, lets’ get the obvious out the way, and let’s just say it:

Preseason rankings are trash, like dog water, throw them out the way trash.

It’s wild because anyone with half a brain could understand how good Ra Shaya Kyle really is and they put Shay inside a blender with 15 & 8 SEC stats and left her off every team list including a preseason All-ACC nod.

Cullop didn’t name names. But she made it clear:

“I was surprised. I hope she uses it as motivation” said Cullop.

But that’s fine, people will wake up soon enough because this is far from a preseason team.

You know what this team is though? It’s a f**king March team. And the general leading the way is Cullop who’s created a roadkill-your-opponent-and-bake-cupcakes-after type of team.

Welcome to the chaos recipe Cullop is stirring in Coral Gables.

12 New Players, Zero Excuses

For Cullop this has been her canvas to paint on as she walked into Year 2 with basically a blank roster.

Portal kids. Freshmen. A center with bloodlust. A South Florida sniper named Vickie. And a whole lotta mystery.

But you wouldn’t know it looking at the simple fact that this team is building chemistry on a different level

“We’re constantly searching for ways to build chemistry,” Cullop said. “Cooking classes. Community service. A boat trip. Halloween dessert competitions.”

Yes. Dessert competitions.

Because nothing builds press rotation chemistry like sabotaging your teammate’s icing.

But it’s working. You can feel it. This isn’t a roster. It’s a squad. They’re joking. They’re passing. They’re starting to talk on defense like they actually know each other.

Cullop said it best:

“If you like someone off the court, you’ll fight that much harder for them on the court.”

Gal, Shay, and the Mid-Major Flamethrowers

Now let’s get back to talking talk hoop.

Because under all the baking and bonding is a basketball team that can ball.

Gal Raviv?

IQ off the charts. Cullop said she dropped a cross-court dime in scrimmage that made the ref say “Damn.”

That’s the scouting report. One word: Damn.

Shay?

Certified problem. 6’6″, both hands, floor-runner, SEC-proven, hates losing anything including scrimmage scoreboards and probably coin tosses.

“She gets mad if she doesn’t win a drill. I love it,” Cullop said.

Jess Peterson? Rebounding machine.

Anae Adams? Efficient bucket.

Nat Wetzel? 6’3, runs the floor like a cheetah and pops 3s like she’s allergic to paint.

Vickie? Poised, smart, and strong enough to body you and make you say thanks after.

This team is low-key loaded with matchup nightmares. They’ve got a high-low game, a three-level scoring PG, stretch bigs, and shooters who actually make shots (wild concept, we know).

Cullop called it a “well-cooked product.”

(That’s not a metaphor. That’s the damn scouting report.)

Press. Run. Trap. Repeat.

This ain’t a “walk it up the floor” team. This is a break-your-will-in-8-seconds team.

Cullop said the goal is clear, and playing Miami basketball is going to look very different

Force turnovers.

Get the ball.

Run your soul out your body.

They’ve been practicing like maniacs to get in shape for this.

Pressing is the identity.

Pushing the pace is gospel. Cullop wants chaos — and they’re finally conditioned enough to create it. Their legs are under them. Turnovers are down. Transition reads are up.

“We had 14 turnovers in our last scrimmage. I want less. But I’ll take it. It’s not 20.”

It’s only preseason and they’re not content, not satisfied, and that’s how you know this team is being held to a real standard.

They’re not going to “see how the season goes.”

They’re coming for the juglar, your passing lanes, and false sense of confidence.

Miami F**KING basketball

You could feel it. This whole team is walking around like the world forgot about them. Like they’ve already circled 4–5 teams on the schedule just to go get petty revenge.

This is the “prove them wrong” tour.

This is Trap Season.

This is Miami Grit 101.

You probably don’t know their names.

You probably didn’t vote for them.

But you’ll know real quick when this team traps you full court, gets a stop, and Shay bangs it off glass while Gal throws behind-the-back dimes and Wetzel stretches the floor like Gumby.

Miami women’s hoops is built. Not ranked.

And they’re about to make you feel dumb for both.