10/31/2023 basketball Edit

Rutgers Women's Basketball Player Spotlight: Chyna Cornwell

Alec Crouthamel

Staff Writer

In the opening matchup of the Rutgers women’s basketball team's Big Ten Tournament run last season, the Scarlet Knights were struggling to put away a last-place Northwestern team and needed a spark. Leading scorer Kaylene Smikle lit up the scoreboard in the opening two periods with 21 first-half points, but she had gotten a bit banged up and was not as effective in half two.

Enter Chyna Cornwell, the team’s second-leading scorer and leading rebounder. She made the paint her own personal warpath, dominating to the tune of 15 points and 16 rebounds, the most boards by a Scarlet Knight in a Big Ten Tournament game (Betnijah Laney previously had 15 in 2015). She had a key bucket late in the game and then an offensive rebound with under 30 seconds left to help salt away a 63-59 Rutgers win.

NOT A RIVALS SUBSCRIBER? JOIN TODAY AND GET 30 DAYS FREE!

Cornwell was able to completely take over the game with her pure effort down low and athleticism to crash the offensive and defensive glass. She finished the season averaging 8.6 rebounds per game, good for third in the Big Ten. She grabbed the second-most offensive rebounds in the conference as well, with her 105 boards right behind Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski’s 108. Her efforts were rewarded by being named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and the Scarlet Knights’ honoree of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

Slotting in at either big spot, Cornwell’s main task will once again be to do the dirty work down low, setting up rebounding opportunities and creating her own offense on the low block and under the rim. It will be interesting to see head coach Coquese Washington’s rotation of wings and bigs, as she could have a taller lineup featuring six-footers in Kaylene Smikle, Antonia Bates, Destiny Adams, Cornwell, and Kassondra Brown. She could also put Cornwell at center and surround her with more perimeter players to open up lanes in the post while also giving the guards room to drive to the rim to initiate their offensive game.

While Cornwell is at her strongest on the boards and in the post, her pure offensive game is less polished. She lacks an outside shot and doesn’t have much shooting touch outside of the paint - her 67.5% free throw percentage was sixth of eight on the team last season - so her game is mostly predicated on getting close to the rim. While she is very good at getting to her spot on the block, often times her finishing skills around the rim are less consistent than they should be. While there is room for improvement, her 51.4% shooting from the field last season still led the team.

Fortunately, Cornwell is such a good rebounder that she can get multiple good looks in one possession even if the shots aren’t falling. There were many instances where she would grab her own rebound two or even three times in a possession Moses Malone-style before converting on the second and third-chance points.

In terms of playmaking, Cornwell is a willing passer and makes good decisions when facing up at the free throw line but is not as much of a triple threat when brought out closer to the perimeter because of the lack of an outside shot, normal for a big. Opposing players often sit closer toward the paint to guard against a potential drive or kick-out. If she can become more of a threat even from just the midrange, her playmaking will also open up.

Off the court, the Conover, North Carolina native has taken on a leadership role as one of the longest-tenured players in the program in her fourth season on the Banks.

"Continue to build chemistry, play together, play fast and really be there for each other on and off the court," Cornwell told scarletknights.com. "We pick each other up any time that we make a mistake on the court, or just anything, we always pick each other up. We are there for each other, and that is really important as a team. That will only make us stronger in the end."

On and off the court, Cornwell’s experience and leadership should be key for a team welcoming in five new players and two new coaches. Her tenacity and athleticism on the defensive end and on the boards give her a chance to be one of the most impactful players on the team and a potential contender for the Big Ten’s All-Defensive Team.