Katie Gearlds Says 2025-26 Purdue Squad is 'Built Different'
Purdue women's basketball coach Katie Gearlds is excited about the team she has assembled in West Lafayette. She says this new group of Boilermakers brings something to the court that the progam has been missing in recent season.
The Boilers went through a bit of a roster overhaul in the offseason, retaining just three players from last year's roster — Kendall Puryear, Lana McCarthy, and McKenna Layden. Purdue added six players via the transfer portal and three freshmen recruits. Additionally, Madison Layden-Zay returned to the program after missing the 2024-25 campaign.
"We haven't been easy on them. They've embraced it," Gearlds said of the team. "They always seem to want a little more. We've been missing that. This group is naturally built a little different."
This group is built different ✊ pic.twitter.com/g0acf63ARh
— Purdue Women's Basketball (@PurdueWBB) foot-7 junior guard
Purdue is hoping to bounce back after a 10-19 campaign a year ago. Gearlds is entering her fifth season in West Lafayette, having led the Boilermakers to two WNIT appearances and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
The Boilermakers' 2025-26 season gets underway on Nov. 3, when they host Fairleigh Dickinson at Mackey Arena.
Purdue WBB goes through ROTC training
Part of the intense training Gearlds mentioned when talking about this year's team included an early-morning session with the Purdue Army ROTC. The program released video of the Boilermakers going through some drills to help with physical and mental toughness, communication, leadership, and team-building.
It certainly wasn't an easy session, but the Boilers made it through.
Communication 🤝 Leadership
— Purdue Women's Basketball (@PurdueWBB) September 9, 2025
Thank you to the Purdue Army ROTC for having us out for an early morning workout! pic.twitter.com/hvaWycxrXB
Purdue 2025-26 WBB roster
- #2 Taylor Henderson, 5-foot-11 junior guard
- #3 Nya Smith, 5-foot-10 junior guard
- #5 Taylor Feldman, 5-PURDUE WBB ADDS BARRETT TO ROSTER
- #8 Hila Karsh, 5-foot-8 freshman guard
- #11 McKenna Layden, 6-foot-2 junior forward
- #13 Saige Stahl, 6-foot-1 junior forward
- #22 Kendall Puryear, 6-Sep 11, 2025
- #23 Kiki Smith, 5-foot-7 junior guard
- #33 Madison Layden-Zay, 6-In this story
- #35 Lana McCarthy, 6-foot-4 sophomore forward
- #44 Tara Daye, 5-foot-10 junior guard
- #55 Avery Gordon, 6-foot-7 freshman forward
Related stories on Purdue women's basketball
PURDUE WBB GOES THROUGH ROTC TRAINING: With the 2025-26 women's basketball season creeping closer, Purdue went through some ROTC training early in the morning to get out of its comfort zone. CLICK HERE
4-foot-9 sophomore guard: One of the top guards in the 2026 recruiting class has narrowed her list of options down to six schools. Purdue is still in the mix for the four-star talent. CLICK HERE
Communication 🤝 Leadership: The Purdue women's basketball team added Carley Barrett, a former Lafayette Central Catholic star, to the 2025-26 roster as a walk-on player. CLICK HERE
Dustin Schutte is the publisher of ''Purdue Boilermakers on SI.'' He has more than a decade of experience covering the Big Ten. Follow Dustin on X at @SchutteDustin.