Preseason MVP: The team’s leading returner in scoring (7.3) and rebounding (7.1), Kara Speer will have to lean more on her strong 3-point shooting to spearhead an inexperienced group.

The Ceiling: With so many fresh faces, Dow sets a modest goal of earning a berth in the Southland Conference tournament through a top-eight finish in the league standings. While not a step up from last year’s sixth-place finish, the achievement would mark a significant step forward for Dow’s program.

The Floor: If veteran returners Kara Speer and Starr Omozee struggle to step-up to their expanded roles and the Cardinals are unable to find impactful newcomers, UIW will sink to the bottom of what should be a highly competitive Southland Conference. 

Game of the Year: Abilene Christian

Projected Starting Five:

Kara Speer
G | 5-9 | Sr. | Tulsa, Okla.

Myra Bell
G | 5-10 | Fr. | San Antonio, Texas

Jaaucklyn Moore
G | 5-8 | Fr. | Round Rock

Starr Omozee
F | 5-10 | Jr. | Pflugerville

CASEY CARANGELO
F | 6-1 | R-Jr. | Thomaston, Conn.

Jeff Dow
Head Coach

First-Year Impact Player: Casey Carangelo

Season Preview

Entering coach Jeff Dow’s first season last year, Incarnate Word was picked to finish last in the 13-team Southland Conference. Coming off a 5-24 campaign in 2018-19, including a 5-13 mark in the league, the selection was understandable.

Dow came aboard and instilled a competitive mentality, a stout defense and a structured, methodical offense. The Cardinals flouted the projections, knocking off perennial power Stephen F. Austin and preseason favorite Abilene Christian on the way to a 10-10 league record, earning a conference tournament berth for the first time in program history.

But rather than promising another step forward, Dow’s second year presents a new array of challenges. The Cardinals graduated six seniors at the end of last season, including Imani Robinson, who led the team in scoring and assists while ranking second in rebounds. Macy Ray, a sophomore who finished second on the team in points and assists, also transferred out of the program to begin nursing school. Overall, UIW lost more than 70 percent of last year’s scoring and rebounding.

The Cardinals return a few key contributors but will be mostly relying on a crop of 11 newcomers, creating a feeling of uncertainty entering the 2020-21 season.

“I’d be naïve if I didn’t say it was going to be a challenge. It will be a challenge. I know that,” Dow said. “It’s, in a lot of respects, almost a brand-new team.”

Senior Kara Speer, UIW’s leader in rebounding last year with 7.1 per game, will be tasked with expanding her scoring role after averaging 7.7 points.

A 5-foot-9 wing, Speer was “unselfish to a fault” at times, Dow said, turning down shots despite leading the team with a 34.0 3-point shooting percentage. Dow said Speer has the team’s highest basketball IQ and rebounds through effort and pursuit.

“She just has a really good feel for the game,” Dow said. “Does a lot of underrated, doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet things on the defensive end.”

Junior forward Starr Omozee is UIW’s next most productive returner, averaging 4.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game off the bench last season. Dow praised Omozee’s versatility but said she struggled to find consistency.

The Cardinals expect to put three or four newcomers on the floor at a time this year. Junior St. Francis Brooklyn transfer Casey Carangelo, a 6-foot-1 forward, has been a preseason standout, as has sophomore JUCO transfer Tiana Gardner. Dow said guards Myra Bell from San Antonio Taft and Jaaucklyn Moore from Round Rock have been the most impressive freshmen early.

“It’s probably going to be very fluid in the starting lineup because of the youth and so many newcomers,” Dow said. “Last year, the last couple months of the season, it was pretty consistent as to who was going to start. But I can’t say it’ll be the same this year.”