Taryn Barbot has the College of Charleston thinking big as CAA play starts

The College of Charleston women’s basketball team had just fallen to Saint Joseph’s in a hard-fought 59-54 battle during the Hawk Classic final at Hagan Arena on Dec. 21. Still, none of the surrounding commotion registered to the Coastal Athletic Association’s Preseason Player of the Year.

Well-wishers and teammates lined Barbot’s path, offering claps, pats on the back and smiles, but the 5’7 sophomore guard moved like she was in a trance-like state, her gaze locked on her destination. Even as the Hawk mascot flapped its wings in celebration and the arena pulsed with the sound of festive Christmas music, Barbot’s world temporarily blurred into insignificance; only the steady rhythm of her stride anchored her focus.

It didn’t matter that she has been one of many bright lights as the College of Charleston has sprinted to a 9-2 start during the non-conference portion of its schedule. This included a significant 68-62 triumph over Northwestern on Dec. 20, the Cougars’ first win over a Power Four opponent since 2009 when they ironically beat Northwestern.

She wasn’t focused on any personal accolades despite the tough afternoon or that her stellar performances have helped the College of Charleston enjoy its best start to a season in the 34-year history of its program according to College Basketball Reference.

Barbot doesn’t like losing.

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It’s how Barbot and her twin sister, Taylor Barbot, inherited their love for basketball, influenced by their parents’ growing up in Floral Park, New York. They played several sports before choosing basketball at the age of 5. The basketball world is forever grateful for their talents. Playing with her sister, Taylor, who scored 23 points against Saint Joseph’s to earn CAA Player of the Week honors last week, has been special.

The Cougars definitely have teams seeing double.

“I like the physicality of basketball,” Barbot revealed to The Next while cradling her all-tournament award. “I’ve grown mentally this season because I was hard on myself. So, I am working on giving myself some grace.”

While she was disappointed with the result against the Hawks, Taryn and the Cougars exited Philadelphia with their heads held high and a stronger belief that great things are on the horizon as CAA play starts Friday against Towson in the cozy confines of TD Arena.

Once the sting subsides, the Cougars will be pleased with what they accomplished during a pair of challenging games in the Hawk Classic.

According to Her Hoop Stats, Charleston limited Northwestern to its lowest points per shot attempt (0.91) this season. Charleston ended the game on a 17-7 run over the final 3:31 to claim the victory.

Taryn is one of the country’s unheralded superstars, as evidenced by her splendid 24-point and eight-rebound effort against Northwestern. Only a sophomore who has scored in double figures 32 times in her fledging career, she’s proud of her personal growth, particularly her mental resilience from last season.

She leads the CAA in 3-point field goal shooting percentage (34.1%) and is second in the CAA in 3-pointers made per game (2.5), third in scoring (16.0), fifth in field goal percentage (35.0%) and ninth in rebounding (7.0). Taryn’s fire and relentless energy ignites her teammates where she supplies an endless array of tenacity, flashy crossovers, step-backs and shooting.

Her talent serves as a driving force, propelling the Cougars toward greater aspirations. When she’s on, she can cause significant damage. For example, she made 10 3-pointers in a win over Charleston Southern on Dec. 3, tying a CofC program record for the most 3s in a game. That scintillating shooting display is tied for the second-most 3-pointers by a player in a game this season behind Richmond’s Rachel Ullstrom, who made 11 against Oakland on Nov. 29.

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The added pressure of earning the CAA’s highest preseason accolade hasn’t fazed her.

“I was happy for myself and our program to be recognized,” said Barbot on being named CAA Player of the Week. “Now, I want to prove to them that I deserve this recognition. (Making 10 3-pointers in a game) felt good because before I wasn’t hitting my shots. So, to hit 10 threes after being in the slump felt good.”

According to Her Hoops Stats, Barbot’s usage rate is higher this season (28.2% in 2024-25 compared to 25.5% last year), and she’s scoring a higher percentage of her points from 3-point distance (48.4% in 2024-25 compared to 42% last year). Her assist percentage has increased this season to 13.4% from 11.0% last season.

Meanwhile, as she sat postgame on the crimson-colored bleachers, sixth-year College of Charleston head coach Robin Harmony rued the missed opportunities against the Hawks. However, chances are that when she reviewed the film of the Hawks game, she would be pleasantly pleased with her squad’s defense in the two games against Northwestern and Saint Joseph’s.

The Cougars forced 21 Saint Joseph’s turnovers, the second time this season that the Hawks had 20 or more turnovers in a single game. College of Charleston also limited Saint Joseph’s to a season-low point total, 16 below its season average. And, the Hawks shot below 35 percent for the second time this season.

“Saint Joe’s is probably going to win the A-10; if they don’t, I’ll be shocked,” Harmony said. “We were right there with them to compete. We didn’t play well today. We know that coming into the CAA, there’s nobody as good as (Saint Joseph’s). So, we have to regroup. It’s a learning experience. … We could have been blown out easily because that’s how good St Joe’s is. So, we hung in there. We competed. Certain bounces didn’t go our way.”

Entering the CAA season, the College of Charleston has established itself as a significant threat to win the conference. The Cougars have the highest NET rating (79) of any CAA program.

The Cougars’ recipe for success this season is rooted in its tenacious defense that transforms the game into pure mayhem. On the court, it’s like an invisible force has turned it into a giant pinball machine — players darting and diving, unseen flippers redirecting the ball in wild, unpredictable directions. Advancing the ball up the floor becomes an adventure for the opponent, the ball ricocheting until, more often than not, it lands in the hands of a Charleston player.

A defensive spectacle that affectionately could be considered “Charleston Chaos” is a thrilling display of speed, precision and relentless pressure. It’s a style that leaves opponents disoriented and fans on the edge of their seats wanting more.

The College of Charleston has forced 20 or more turnovers in 10 of its 11 games. The Cougars have held seven of their 11 opponents below 35% shooting and nine of their 11 opponents below 65 points. Charleston leads the CAA in scoring defense (53.1), scoring offense (78.0), scoring margin (+24.9), field goal percentage (40.0%), opponent field goal percentage (36.0%), 3-pointers made per game (7.9), offensive rebounds (16.5), turnover margin (12.73), steals (15.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (12.7).

“I am not surprised because I saw how our kids were going to work,” Harmony said of the Cougars’ record at the start of the season. “This team here, if we’ve had two months of practice, we’ve only had two or three days where they just weren’t in the mood. … They know they’re here to practice for two hours and get better. This team has been really easy to coach. … This team is a little bit more mature. They love the game. They’re young, but they work hard. We’re relentless. It was hard for us to play back-to-back games where you saw we ran out of gas.”

Beyond the Barbot sisters, the College of Charleston has a solid inside presence anchored by 6’3 junior forward Lara Rohkohl, who transferred from Central Connecticut State. The native of Germany leads the CAA in rebounding (9.9) and blocked shots (2.4) and is sixth in steals (2.1). She also averages 10.0 points per game. Rohkohl had nine points and nine rebounds in the win over Northwestern.

“Beating Northwestern meant a lot to our program,” Rohkohl said. “It was a win we wanted to get, and we hustled. All of us were out there, and the whole team did it together. And yeah, we’re all proud of it. … Against Saint Joseph’s, we left everything out on the court, and it didn’t go our way, but we know we’ll get better from it.”

While the Barbot twins and Rohkohl average at least 30 minutes per game and combined for 41% of the team’s 169 steals, the College of Charleston has at least six other players who play more than 12 minutes per game.

Averaging 8.0 points per game, 5’11 sophomore guard Jami Hill is second on the team with 14 3-pointers. Seeing action in every game this season, 5’8 graduate guard McKinley Brooks-Sumpter, a UNC Asheville transfer who earned Second Team All-Big South honors last season, has contributed 6.3 points per game. Returning from an injury and missing all last season, 5’6 redshirt sophomore guard Jazmyn Stone scored 20 points in a win over Robert Morris. Marissa Brown, a 6’0 junior guard, has started in the Cougars previous eight games and averages 20.3 minutes per game.

Aside from their defense, the key to the College of Charleston’s success this season may be rooted in its unity fostered through activities like escape rooms, top golf outings and potlucks. These allowed the Cougars to grow closer, learn from one another, embrace the expectations of building off of a 22-win campaign and enhance their chemistry and teamwork.

“We are special as a team because we stay together, even when we’re down, in low moments,” Barbot said. “As one of the returners who played a lot last season, I had to step up for my team and be a leader for us.”

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