Couch: Lansing Community College's nationally ranked women's basketball team has reloaded, with one goal

4 days ago 1

LANSING — For Lansing Community College’s women’s basketball program, the previous two seasons were a combination of wonder and winning, building and bonding. The rebirth of the Stars’ program under Megan Hudson has been an awesome story.

But it’s also twice finished in frustration and heartbreak, back-to-back 25-win seasons ending a win shy of the NJCAA Division II national tournament.

All you have to do is look at the schedule and the roster this season to know there’s one goal: Get to the national tournament.

“100%. It’s eyes on the prize,” Hudson said, midway through her third season.

“I mean, it’s everything,” said sophomore point guard Claire Tobias, from Holt.

Lansing Community College's Claire Tobias runs the point against Macomb CC, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Lansing.

The Stars are 11-2 entering Wednesday night’s home game against Jackson College (5:30 p.m., Gannon Gymnasium). Jackson beat them in the district championship two years ago. LCC then begins conference play at home Saturday against Glen Oaks Community College (1 p.m., Gannon Gymnasium).

The LCC men, also off to a good start (9-4), host Mott at 7:30 on Wednesday and Glen Oaks at 3 p.m. Saturday.

That non-conference record by the LCC women has been earned this season. Hudson challenged her team in ways she hadn’t the first two years — playing three straight ranked teams in three days at a tournament at St. Clair County in November, beating two of them and losing a competitive game to now-No. 2 Illinois Central, then playing at No. 6 Schoolcraft, losing by four, before winning three games at an event in Florida in December, including over No. 12 Parkland.

All of it has put the Stars firmly on the national radar, ranked No. 9 nationally in the latest poll, which came out Tuesday.

It’s the respect Hudson has been seeking. “Because I feel the basketball we’re playing is on that level,” she said.

“I have been trying to figure out the formula for national competition, to continue to grow, to get to a space that we can make the national tournament and, when we get there, we can compete nationally,” Hudson continued. “And it was clearly articulated to me that you need to travel to play outside of your region and you have to play ranked teams.”

She was told that by fellow coaches and, not in so many words, by the NJCAA tournament selection committee, which didn’t give the Stars one of the few at-large bids when they fell to Schoolcraft last March in their district championship game.

Hudson also knew that she needed to challenge this particular team early, a squad with 10 freshmen.

“I knew that I had a very young team coming in, a very, very talented young team coming in,” Hudson said, “and that they need to understand what that landscape looks like, and to play the best of the best and to be able to compete at that level.”

Lansing Community College players, including Ashlynn Putman (33), Demi Bolton (2) and Jocelyn Kotowicz (10), head to the locker room against Macomb CC, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Lansing.

Hudson’s team still has a local flare to it — Tobias, sophomore post Ashlynn Putman (Mason), redshirt-sophomore Ivana McCollum (Waverly), along with freshmen guards Sophie Klinger (East Lansing) and Jocelyn Kotowicz (St. Johns) are all regular contributors, with Tobias and Putman starting all 13 games.

But Hudson’s recruiting reach has expanded significantly — to Detroit, Flint, Bay City, Berrien Springs, Kansas, Texas.

The foundation and culture built the last two seasons has made LCC an attractive destination and the recruiting pitch easier.

For example, transfer Destiny Ochs, a 5-foot-9 wing from Topeka, Kansas, found LCC on her own, first by poking around the NJCAA website.

“Lansing stood out to me,” Ochs said. “I looked them up, and the school popped out to me. I could tell they're really focused on their education, they looked like they had a good basketball program they were building. And I just looked at their Twitter, too. And I saw that they're committing a lot more girls. It’s more of a diverse team than it was last year. So I was just really interested. I reached out from there.”

Hudson emailed her back the next day and the recruitment blossomed.

Freshman power forward and center Aubreona Smith — affectionally known to her teammates as “Smitty” — met Hudson after one of her games at Berrien Springs. There were a number of coaches there to see her, but she and Hudson connected right away.

“She stood out the most to me,” Smith said. “I feel like you should go somewhere you’re wanted and not just be a number.”

She liked that LCC had a psychology program and felt like home. And, “I like to win.”

Lansing Community College's Aubreona Smith, center, shoots against Macomb CC's Asiyah Jihad, left, and Hannah Tamou, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Lansing.

This is no longer just a dream. Nor just a feel-good story. Hudson has something to sell, proof of concept, and can be choosy in who she recruits, as well.

Her first two teams were talented in their own right. This one is deeper — 13 deep regularly.

“I have easily seven different kids that could go off for 20 (points) on any given night,” Hudson said.

“We have so many guards this year, they just love to run,” Tobias added. “We have so many people coming off the bench, if one person's tired, we have another one just as fast. We outrun everyone. I love that feeling, as someone who just loves to push the ball up (the court). … And Smitty coming in, her and Ash (Putman) being our bigs have been great.”

Lansing Community College's Armonie Smith (12) pushes the ball up court after a steal against Macomb CC, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, in Lansing.

Smith are Putman are part of a balanced scoring attack, with Putman leading the team at 11.3 points per game (an 8.2 rebounds), with Smith at 10.8 (and 7.8 rebounds). Armonie Smith, a 5-9 freshman guard from Flint, averages 11.2 points, with freshman guard Demi Bolton, who played at Ferndale, at 9.1 per game. Tobias averages 7.6 points and team-leading 2.4 assists. Freshman Georgia Kuyers — who followed former LCC star Kara Bartels (now at CMU) from Zeeland West — is averaging 6.7 rebounds in 17.3 minutes. Nine players are averaging 15 minutes or more per game, with Putnam and Tobias the only two over 20.

“I think our athleticism and the fact that we can go so deep in the roster, that's been a little bit different. … That's helped us this year,” Putman said.

Also helping — even when it doesn’t feel like it: the travel and the schedule.

“I think it was necessary,” Putman said. “It was hard at times, and obviously we dropped a couple (games) to the Illinois (Central) team and Schoolcraft. But playing the high-caliber teams early and getting a feel for that early, I think is beneficial for us when we go down the road and play at regionals and nationals.”

“We we feel like we have figured out the recipe a bit on getting the girls ready for what that's going to feel like in a different way than we have in the past,” Hudson said, “what it feels like to play multiple games back to back, what it feels like to be in high-pressure situations and make better decisions, and you don't get that if you're not playing the best.”

As the goal has become more focused, Hudson and her staff have tried to make sure this is still an inviting program and an atmosphere that isn’t entirely about winning under pressure. For example, they take dance breaks during workouts — where one player teaches the rest of the team a dance. They give each other verbal flowers after every practice. It’s still a mom and pop operation, too — literally. Hudson’s mother, Pat Feehery, buys the team snacks.

At the community college level, there’s always a ton a newness. Maintaining culture and leadership comes down to the staff and your sophomores.

“I've been very, very pleased with our (group),” Hudson said, also happy that her team posted a 3.3 first-semester GPA, the highest in her time with the program. “The sophomores have been outstanding, major anchors to what we're doing here. The freshmen, to have the mentality they have, is fun to see.”