The Johns Hopkins University women’s basketball team was picked to finish second in the 2026-27 Centennial Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll, receiving four first-place votes and 94 points. Gettysburg led the poll with seven first-place votes and 97 points.
Last season, Johns Hopkins reached the NCAA Sweet 16 and appeared in the Centennial Conference Championship game. The Blue Jays also advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the third consecutive season under fourth-year head coach Rodney Rogan.
Johns Hopkins women’s basketball enters season ranked nationally
The Blue Jays were ranked No. 7 in the WBCA preseason poll and No. 8 in the D3hoops.com preseason poll. Johns Hopkins returns more than 52% of last season’s scoring production and 42% of its minutes.
Seniors Layla Henderson and Lauren Knudson return after receiving College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors last season. Sophomores Jocelyn Goldstein and Faith Williamson also return after earning All-Centennial honorable mention recognition.
Blue Jays welcome seven newcomers
The 2026-27 roster includes seven newcomers: one transfer and six freshmen. The Blue Jays also return a core that helped the team rank first nationally in field-goal percentage defense, fourth in scoring margin and seventh in scoring defense last season.
Johns Hopkins seeks another Centennial Conference championship appearance
Johns Hopkins will seek to reach the Centennial Conference Championship for the sixth consecutive season and pursue the program’s first Centennial Conference title since 2003.
The Blue Jays open the 2026-27 season against Notre Dame of Maryland on Nov. 7 at Goldfarb Gymnasium. Johns Hopkins then faces Randolph-Macon on Nov. 10.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Johns Hopkins University women’s basketball begins the season with a No. 2 conference projection, four first-place votes and national preseason rankings from the WBCA and D3hoops.com. The Blue Jays return more than half of last season’s scoring production after reaching the NCAA Round of 16 for the third consecutive season.
Gettysburg’s three-point lead in the poll gives Johns Hopkins a clear target, while the returning production and defensive results support the Blue Jays’ position near the top of the Centennial Conference. The next objectives are integrating seven newcomers, returning to the conference championship game and pursuing the program’s first title since 2003.
Source: Original report
