With a goldmine of homegrown prep talent to tap from, it is no surprise that year after year, Division I women’s basketball teams in Texas make national headlines throughout the season. Their storylines intrigue fans and media alike.
Can anyone beat Baylor? Will Chennedy Carter propel Texas A&M deep into the NCAA tournament? Will Erica Ogwumike and Nancy Mulkey steer Rice through another undefeated conference season? Is Texas center Joyner Holmes ready and healthy for a breakout senior season? Can TCU be a consistent threat in the Big 12?
Baylor
No Kalani Brown, no Chloe Jackson, no problem for Baylor. The reigning national champions return a cadre of outstanding players that will make the Lady Bears just as lethal as last season. Senior forward Lauren Cox, recovered from a championship game knee injury, was last season’s second leading scorer and top rebounder for Baylor. With her array of skills in the paint and on the perimeter, Cox will undoubtedly vex teams her senior season and is expected be a high first-round pick in the 2020 WNBA draft.
Coach Kim Mulkey’s returners also include senior guard Juicy Landrum, the team’s three-point shooting ace; assists leader, junior guard Didi Richards; and sophomore forward NaLyssa Smith who had an impressive first-year outing capped by scoring 14 points and pulling down six rebounds in the national championship game against Notre Dame.
In addition to the returners, Baylor adds two graduate transfers: point guard Te’a Cooper (South Carolina), and Waco native, 6-6 center Erin DeGrate (Texas Tech). Cooper led the Gamecocks in scoring at 11.9 points per game. DeGrate averaged 8.2 points and 5.3 rebounds last season. DeGrate and Landrum went to high school together at nearby La Vega High School and won the 4A state championship in 2014.
With talent that includes seven players that are at least six feet tall, the Lady Bears may run through the Big 12 again undefeated and find themselves back at the Final Four.
“It will be interesting to see how Baylor showcases [Lauren Cox] without Kalani Brown,” says veteran basketball analyst Brenda VanLengen. “She is athletic, long, skilled and such an intense competitor and great teammate and the combination of Cox and NaLyssa Smith will be very difficult to contain.”