PROVO — Three players from the BYU women’s basketball team entered the team at different times.

One was a barely recruited reserve who rose to stardom in her five years in Provo. The second player was a local standout from Ogden who found most of her starting time two years ago.

And the third player originally spurned offers from BYU to join her sister at rival Utah, only to return to Provo for the final year of her college career.

But when Cassie Broadhead Devashrayee, Amanda Wayment and Malia Nawahine lace up their sneakers for one final regular-season game Thursday night at the Marriott Center, they will do so as the same thing: seniors.

“These three seniors have all been different,” said BYU coach Jeff Judkins, whose team will try to lock up the West Coast Conference's No. 3 seed at 7 p.m. MST against Portland. “This is probably one of the hardest nights for a coach. There are so many wonderful memories and things you’ve done with these seniors, then to see them leave and move on with life is tough.”

Devashrayee came to BYU as an underrecruited scoring phenom from small Scotia Glenville High School in upstate New York. Representing the northern edge of the Empire State when she arrived in 2013, the nickname came quick, if not justifiably.

But in her five years as a Cougar, including a redshirt season, Devashrayee became “Little Jimmer.” Vacillating between point guard and shooting guard, she’s added layers to her offensive game that she only dreamed of as a teenager.

“I think I’ve experienced probably everything you can experience in this program: from redshirting to not playing to having a lot of minutes,” Devashrayee said. “I’ve experienced a lot of different things, a lot of ups and downs, but it’s definitely something I would do again and I wouldn’t change for the world.”

Along the way, more has changed for the former Cassie Broadhead than just her last name, which came just before her senior year when she married former Brighton High standout Travis Devashrayee.

BYU’s Devashrayee has turned from reserve shooting guard to starting point guard, a focal point of the Cougars’ offense in 2017-18 and the reigning West Coast Conference player of the year.

She’s made it to the heights of the NCAA Tournament and the lows of a first-round exit in the Women’s NIT.

But the senior who averages 20.0 points and 4.3 assists per game and ranks No. 20 all-time with 1,284 points said she wouldn’t trade her BYU experience for anything.

“Sometimes I still feel like that same 15-year-old girl (from Glenville),” Devashrayee said. “But basketball-wise, I’ve changed a lot. I used to be so little, young and not very smart. I think I’ve grown a lot as an individual and a player, and a lot of that has to do with my coaches, my teammates and my parents.”

A first-team all-state player at Fremont High School, Wayment came to BYU a year after Devashrayee and found herself in a starting lineup as a sophomore when she was paired with arguably the greatest rebounder in BYU history in Kalani Purcell.

But the dynamic duo who still room together on road trips got their start together as reserves, subbing in for the likes of former BYU great Lexi Eaton Rydalch and hitting game-winners right away.

“Cassie has been with me the whole time, and she’s one of my greatest friends,” Wayment said. “It’s funny; even though I’m a bit more outspoken than she is, we got along really well.

“Working Malia in is easy. She’s like Cassie, and I didn’t have to change anything. I think they get along so well because they are a lot like each other.”

Since Purcell graduated, though, Wayment had to reinvent herself.

A steady rebounder, the 6-foot-1 forward moved a little further outside and had to refine her offensive repertoire, as well. She’s 4.1 points and 4.3 rebounds while playing next to freshman Sara Hamson and sophomore Shalae Salmon.

“It’s been fun playing outside,” Wayment said. “I’ve always been undersized, so playing with girls who are more of my size has been … well, different.”

Nawahine is the late arrival to the BYU party. A former Springville High standout, Nawahine rebuffed Judkins’ offers in high school and joined her older sister at Utah.

"We were fortunate to have her come back when I could get to know her," Judkins said of Nawahine. "She’s had a mixed career, but she’s been a big part of our team this year for leadership, presence on the court, and toughness."

Nawahine Transfers

Former Utah, Springville High wing fitting right in with BYU women's basketball

Got a spot for a former recruit who went to Utah? Of course he did, BYU coach Jeff Judkins said.

When new coach Lynne Roberts approached the Red Devil alum prior to what would’ve been her senior year at the U., she decided a transfer was the best course of action.

Nawahine quickly reached out to Judkins, and the rest is history. A graduate transfer in psychology, she enrolled in the master’s of public administration program at BYU’s Marriott School, a degree she plans to finish next season while (hopefully, she admits) coaching on the side.

By the end of the season, she was even joining Devashrayee and Wayment in a captain role.

“I’ve had a lot of change in my college career,” Nawahine said. “I’ve had three different coaches at two schools, and it’s interesting to see the difference a coach can make on your own college career.

“I’m very grateful that I had the opportunity to play here; this has been my best year, for year.”

Devashrayee recalled having to match up against Nawahine three times.

By the time her senior year rolled around, she was glad to be teammates with the Cougar wing who averages 9.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

“We’re all grateful she’s here to add leadership and experience,” Devashrayee said of Nawahine. “What she’s given to this team can’t be replaced.

“I definitely like playing with her instead of against her. That was rough.”

All three seniors will finish their homestands Thursday before Saturday’s regular-season finale at WCC-leading Gonzaga. Then it’s on to the conference tournament in Las Vegas, where the Cougars know they need to win or be left out of the NCAA Tournament yet again.

“We know our only chance of going to the NCAA Tournament is the conference tournament,” Judkins said. “But we’ve had moments of playing the best basketball, so hopefully we can put 2-3 games together, win it and then make all the hard times we’ve gone through be forgotten.”

Wayment agreed with her coach — but also acknowledged that Thursday night will be something especially unique.

“It’s emotional, but it’s also exciting to see what else is coming for me after basketball,” said Wayment, who plans to move into coaching after graduation. “With this team, we just need to focus on the moment.

“We need to get two wins this week so that we can get on a roll next week and win the tournament.”

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