Texas State’s in the same situation as last year.

The Bobcats entered the 2018-19 season with five first-year players and just three returning seniors. The upperclassmen were pivotal for the team. Toshua Leavitt carried the scoring load for the team and forced defenders to stick to the perimeter as a constant outside threat. Zandra Emanuel led the team on the boards and cleaned up any misses from long range.

Texas State will enter this season with five first-year players and three returning seniors again. But this time, the Bobcats won’t have the same spacing Leavitt created or as many second chances Emanuel afforded them.

“We are not going to be the shooting team that we have been in the past,” head coach Zenarae Antoine said. “When you have that many kids that are relatively new to what we do, we're still in that growing process.”

The team is further along in the growing process than last year, though. Antoine’s 2018 recuiting class played significant minutes last season and is now poised to make a leap.

Sophomore Kennedy Taylor played her way into the starting one spot, orchestrating the offense with elite court vision and a tight handle. If Taylor continues refining her game, cutting down on turnovers and holding her own defensively, Antoine thinks she could be the top point guard to ever come through the program.

Taylor’s classmate, Da’Nasia Hood, showed her offensive chops as well, exhibiting enough size to post up smaller defenders and enough of an outside shot to run the pick-and-pop game.

“I'm really looking for Kennedy to take her game to another level. And she has. Ever since we hit the end of last year, she's picked it up defensively,” Antoine said. “If Da'Nasia is in shape, there's nobody who's going to be able to stop that kid. She's a highly-skilled forward for us.”

The Bobcats’ senior group is made up of twin sisters Brooke and Bailey Holle.

The Holles consistently drew the toughest perimeter defensive assignments last year. Bailey is a vocal leader of the team and solid secondary facilitator for the offense. Brooke is more aggressive with the ball and could be the top scoring option for the team this season.

“They have a lot of fun as a senior group and they really get along well together,” Antoine said. “Not all senior cores get along well together. This group really does.”

Antoine said it's still too early to have any concrete expectations for what the team can be. But after going through a retooling year last season, she now has a better idea of how to prepare.

“I know that they came here wanting a ring,” Antoine said. “And so my plan is to make sure that I do everything I can to help them do that.”

Preseason MVP:
Brooke Holle. The team’s No. 2 scorer from last season now has the keys to the car. Holle has the ability to score from anywhere on the floor, but needs to improve her efficiency to become the Bobcats’ go-to player.

Game of the Year: At South Alabama, Jan. 25.
The Bobcats fell to the Jaguars by one point in the second round of the Sun Belt tournament and are eager to run it back.

Impact First-Year Player: Lily Moore