Preseason MVP: No one does more for the Mavericks than Katie Ferrell, but she hasn’t been counted as a consistent scorer. The Mavs need her to be one this year as opposed to just a facilitator. 

The Ceiling: This is a team where, if it all comes together, they can win the Sun Belt Conference and put together a win total surpassing 20. If the Mavericks get consistent scoring, especially from the front-court, their back-court depth is good enough that they can carry a team. 

The Floor: Despite the depth and experience in the back-court, this is a team that isn’t all that deep in the front-court and add in the uncertainty with how Shereka Wright and the staff mesh with the roster in year one, this is a special scenario that could see the team slip to a record below .500.Troy, 

Game of the Year: Troy, January, 9

Projected Starting Five

Terryn Milton
G | 5-9 | Jr. | Owasso, Okla.

Katie Ferrell
G | 6-1 | Jr. | Plano, Texas

Claire Chastain
G | 6-0 | Jr. | Shawnee, Okla.

Emma Halverson
F | 6-3 | Jr. | Plano, Texas

Misty Dossey
C | 6-5 | Jr. | Comanche, Okla.

SHEREKA WRIGHT
Head Coach

Impact-First Year Player: Ka'Lia Smith

Season Preview:

After back to back twenty-win seasons in August the UTA Lady Mavericks basketball program was hit with a big loss as head coach Krista Gerlich took the head coaching job at her alma mater, Texas Tech. Gerlich had overseen the total turnaround of the program at UT-Arlington. In her first season, the Mavericks won just four games, but quickly emerged as a winning program, including back to back 20-win seasons the past two years.

With the change, UTA turns to a Copperas Cove native, former Vanderbilt assistant Shereka Wright to take over the program. Wright, a former player in the WNBA has an extensive background recruiting in Texas and her ties to the area are likely to pay dividends in more ways than one.

The Mavericks will rely heavily on their veteran leadership to try and navigate the waters of a new leader on the sidelines, Clarie Chastain, who averaged nearly 11 points per game a year ago will be counted on heavily to lead the way as several experienced playmakers in the backcourt graduated. Joining Chastain in the backcourt is 6-foot-1 guard Katie Ferrell. The Plano Senior High product only averaged 3.4 points per game, but is capable of filling a stat sheet up as she finished second for the Mavericks in assists, averaged nearly seven rebounds a game and was second on the team in blocks. The next step for Ferrell is to improve on the offensive end of the court and be a viable threat to score double figures. Ferrell started 31 of 32 games a year ago and her versatility and size allows UTA to play a three-guard offense.

Junior Terryn Milton could be a real x-factor for the Mavs after leading the team in assists and averaging 7.6 points per game, Milton started all 32 games for UT-Arlington as a sophomore.

In the front-court 6-foot-5 post Misty Dossey, the junior appeared in 29 games a year ago with five starts averaging nearly seven points per game and leading the team in blocked shots. Look for Dossey to move into a full-time starting role, bringing size and experience to the Mavericks front-court. Emma Halverson, another Plano Senior High product who appeared in all 32 games a year ago and had two starts will be counted on this year to likely step into a starting role. Bre Wickware, a Denton Guyer product should also see more time after appearing in 31 games a year ago.

Coach Wright hasn’t yet built her staff as of press time and it remains to be seen what changes she makes as far as on-court strategy, but this is a very experienced Mavericks squad that should be able to navigate the coaching change well, so expect this team to again be in the mix for a spot in the top of the Sun Belt standings.