Incarnate Word coach Jeff Dow is entering his first season at the helm of the program, but he knows what his players have been through. The seven seniors on the Cardinals’ roster are 19-68 during the past three seasons, and they are yet to qualify for the Southland Conference tournament in two years of eligibility.  

A veteran group that returns its four leading scorers and seven leading rebounders from last season is hoping Dow can spark a turnaround after last year’s squad finished 5-24 and 5-13 in league games.  

“That fresh start, they’re definitely on board with,” Dow said. “For all of the seniors, the consensus I sense from them is they want to go out on a high note. ...This group, to leave their legacy behind, if they can be the first class of the UIW women’s basketball program that found their way into the conference tournament, would be huge.”  

Dow said he’s looked to build a culture around enthusiasm, attention to detail and competitiveness, with almost every drill in practice being scored.  

So far, the players are buying into his system, which this season will likely be centered on working deep into the shot clock to generate open looks.  

“I'm not going to apologize if we milk that thing down to the last five or six seconds to get the best shot possible,” Dow said. “We're not trying to beat teams in the 80s, by any means. I don’t think we’re there yet in terms of our personnel to think we’re going to go outscore people. We have to be disciplined.” 

Two-point shooting was UIW’s biggest weakness last year. The Cardinals ranked last in the NCAA with a 32.6 field goal percentage despite being just slightly below average from 3-point range at 30.5 percent. On two-point shots, UIW hit just 33.8 percent, and Dow said that number needs to climb to at least 40 percent.  

The Cardinals also ranked 340th of 349 Division I programs in scoring defense, allowing 75.5 points per game.  

“That's too big of a number,” Dow said. “I don’t think we’re to the point where we have the depth of scoring options to think that we’re going to routinely beat people in the 70s or 80s. I don’t see that happening.” 

Versatile guard Imani Robinson returns for her senior year after leading the Cardinals with 9.1 points and 2.3 assists per game last season.  

Sophomore Starr Omozee is a strong, physical 5-foot-10 forward who averaged 8.9 points per game last year and is the team’s leading returning rebounder with 6.1 per game.  

Senior guard Angelica Wiggins, sister of former No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick Andrew Wiggins, is back after leading UIW with 40 made 3-pointers last year. Dow said junior guard Kara Speer, who averaged 5.0 points per game last year, has established herself as UIW’s best 3-point shooter, with sophomore guard Macy Ray not far behind.  

In the frontcourt, 6-foot-1 senior twins Alexis and Lunden Henry are also expected to be major contributors.  

Preseason MVP: Imani Robinson
A 5-foot-11 senior and the Cardinals’ leading returning scorer with 9.1 points per game last season, Robinson has proven she can play anywhere from point guard to power forward.  

Game of the Year: Dec. 18 vs. Central Arkansas
The only conference game before the new year will be UIW’s opportunity to set the tone against the squad that claimed the final seed in last year’s Southland tournament.  

Impact First-Year Player:
Destiny Jenkins