Reese Ross is making a strong case to be named most improved player on this year’s Utah women’s basketball team — and that’s even after she stepped onto campus last year and made solid contributions as a true freshman.

At the rate she’s going, Ross could even be a strong contender for the Big 12′s Sixth Player Award by season’s end.

Through the team’s first 12 games of the 2024-25 season — which includes all of nonconference play and the Big 12 opener against Arizona State — Ross has nearly doubled her production across the board from what she put up as a freshman.

The 6-foot-1 sophomore forward from Rapid City, South Dakota, is averaging 20 minutes each contest while putting up 10.2 points, a team-high 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

Ross’ field goal shooting average is up from 51.1% to 62%, while she’s also shooting more efficiently from 3-point range, from 40.5% to 47.1% this season.

What has led to Reese Ross’ uptick in production?

Ross says being able to play so much as a freshman in the 2023-24 season — when she averaged 11.5 minutes, 4.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game — was valuable experience that has made her more confident going into Year 2.

“I’m grateful for the year of experience. It’s definitely something that can’t be replicated,” she told the Deseret News. “Many times you run someone’s offense, run someone’s defense (in practice), it’s not the same as actually getting game-time exposure.”

Then, showing the wisdom of an experienced veteran, Ross made sure to emphasize the importance of relationships and trust, and how big of a role they’ve played in her development.

“I like to attest a lot of my confidence to the fact that I did play a decent amount as a freshman, and I did get the opportunity,” she said. “I know that I had trust from the coaching staff and I know I had a lot of trust from my teammates, just continuing to maintain those relationships and understand that I’m still young.

“I’m still gonna make mistakes, but I do have a year of experience that not a lot of other people obviously have. So I’m just using that as like my little samurai sword, my little weapon.”

“College is a process — it’s not something that you see results in a day, two days. It’s something that’s going to take longer than some people expect. And I think just working on my skills over the summer and a big thing was confidence and just earning trust from my coaching staff.”

—  Utah sophomore forward Reese Ross

Ross said player development and “trusting the process” guided her focus during offseason workouts between her freshman and sophomore seasons.

“College is a process — it’s not something that you see results in a day, two days,” she said. “It’s something that’s going to take longer than some people expect. And I think just working on my skills over the summer and a big thing was confidence and just earning trust from my coaching staff.”

For now, Ross is one of the first players coming off the bench for first-year head coach Gavin Petersen, who played a heavy role in her recruitment.

The Utes have a starting lineup that’s full of seniors — point guard Ines Vieira, shooting guard Kennady McQueen, and forwards Jenna Johnson and Maye Toure — along with sharpshooting guard Gianna Kneepkens, the team’s leading scorer.

Ross and junior guard Maty Wilke, who like Ross is in her second year at Utah after transferring from Wisconsin, provide the biggest sparks off the bench for a Utes squad that is 10-2 on the year.

Like Ross herself, Johnson attributes the breakout season Ross is enjoying to increased confidence and a greater comfort level in Utah’s system and the college game.

“Last year in practice, you could tell she was gonna be good and just needed a little bit of time to mature and develop. I feel like most of it is just mentally, being confident,” Johnson said of her post playing teammate.

“You know, she goes out, she looks for a shot, she just plays with a level of almost swagger this year. … I feel like the biggest thing for her, just mentally, I’ve seen a lot of growth in and she’s a versatile player. I think he’s just playing into all those strengths and kind of hitting the right spots at the right time.”

Rebounding, shooting showcase Ross’ improvements

Two of the biggest areas where Ross’ assertiveness are shining through are her efficient shooting and her effort-driven rebounding.

Her team-first approach shows up in her rebounding — Ross leads the Utes by averaging 6.2 boards per game, just ahead of Toure (5.6).

“I think Reese has done what we’ve asked her to do. You know, we talk a lot about controlling the controllables, and there’s something that everybody has that is unique and different,” Petersen said, after Ross’ 15-point, five-rebound effort against Utah State on Dec. 4. “And for her, it’s just her effort, her rebounding, staying within the offense like she does. And good things happen when you do that — you’ll get rewarded.”

Good things are happening in Ross’ scoring game as well — she is one of four Utes averaging double-digit points per game this season.

She is coming off a 19-point effort in Utah’s Big 12 opener, a callback to the old Pac-12 days of sorts, as the Utes beat Arizona State 102-82.

Ross, as she’s made a habit of doing, came up big — shooting 6 of 10 from the floor, making two 3-pointers and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line, while adding five rebounds and a blocked shot in 21 minutes.

Her field goal shooting percentage would be in the top five in the Big 12 — and top 15 nationally — if she had enough shot attempts.

Twice this year — against Southern Utah and Utah State — she shot a perfect 6 of 6 from the field.

Again, Ross attributes those improvements she’s shown as a shooter to her experience she’s already gained, and knowing her coaches trust her.

“I would say repetition is definitely part of it, but the biggest part is just going out there and doing my job and not worrying about making mistakes and screwing up because things are going to happen,” Ross said. “I think with Gavin as a head coach, he understands that I’m still young. I’m 20 years old, I’m in my second year of college. I’m gonna make mistakes.

“Just having a coach that trusts that you’re gonna do your job, playing through mishaps and things like that, really does make a huge difference in a basketball players’ mind and overall performance.”

Likewise, Petersen exudes praise and trust in his young, promising forward.

“She’s only a sophomore, so she’s only going to continue to get better. We’re going to pour more into her player development in the offseason. And I think, yeah, sky’s the limit for her. So really proud of her,” Petersen said.

‘It’s a privilege, for sure, to be a part of something like this’

Much along the same lines of her effort and trust in her coaches, Ross also breathes team culture, understanding that by focusing on doing her part, it makes the whole better.

“It’s a privilege, for sure, to be a part of something like this. We all bring a different aspect to the team,” Ross said. “I would say, I excel in rebounding. Maty, her shot quality and her consistency is amazing. Kennedy can attack, shoot, defend, like, we’ve got a secret weapon in everybody.

“And I think once we all display our unique individuality as basketball players, we are one of the best teams in the country. You can put somebody out there and you can stop somebody, but it’s gonna turn on the gas light for somebody else. Like, it’s hard to stop a team when you have everyone who’s able to score, everyone who’s able to just do a little bit of something to add to that, like wow factor of Utah basketball.”

Her coach echoes those sentiments, that this team has the pieces to make noise on a national scale.

“On any given night, anybody can go and be a superstar. I mean, we have people coming off the bench that could possibly start, and so it’s a luxury to have,” Petersen said. “My biggest challenge sometimes is just spreading those minutes out for what is needed that night, for our team versus a certain opponent. But it’s just a great thing to have depth.”

That depth is starting to show itself — freshmen guards Brooke Walker, Kylie Ray and Grace Foster are going through the same process Ross did last year, earning their chances for minutes when opportunities come.

For Johnson, who’s been at Utah through the entirety of their three-year run of making the NCAA tournament — highlighted by making the Sweet 16 two years ago — she sees a bright future for the program she’s been instrumental in making into a contender.

“It obviously gives you confidence in the future that we’re losing a lot of seniors this year, but you kind of see different people that are gonna be able to step up and the program’s in good hands,” she said. “It speaks to the development that our coaching staff does.”

The focus on playing in the Big 12

Turning the focus back to this year, though, Ross has the look of someone who will play a major role in whatever successes the team will accomplish in its new conference this season.

Her continued emergence will be key as Utah takes on its full force of the Big 12 conference schedule after the holidays.

The Utes are ready to prove, like they did in the Pac-12, that they’re a program that will impact the conference race.

“I would say we’re really ready. Preseason is long, it’s gritty, it’s hard work, and we’ve gotten good competition in our preseason. I think a lot of us are just ready to continue that hard grind of good teams where you can’t take a day off,” Ross said.

“It’s just like showing that we do have that grit. We’re not giving up the work. We are working our (expletive) off every day.”