Pregame Ring & Banner Ceremony Highlights Season Opener vs. New Hampshire

Tuesday, November 5

Waco, Texas

6:00 PM

Baylor

New Hampshire

Pregame Ring & Banner Ceremony Highlights Season Opener vs. New Hampshire

11/4/2019 2:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Lady Bears look to extend overall win streak to 30, Ferrell Center streak to 40

By: Jery Hill, Baylor Bear Insider



	BAYLOR LADY BEARS (0-0) Location: Waco, Texas Conference: Big 12 Head Coach: Kim Mulkey (La. Tech, 1984) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes	BAYLOR (37-1 in 2018-19) VS. NEW HAMPSHIRE (6-24 in 2018-19) November 5, 2019 • 6 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • The Ferrell Center (10,284) - LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast/1660 AM/92.3 FM WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Talent: John Morris (PBP), Nina Davis (Analyst) LISTEN: Tune In Talent: Bruce Gietzen (PBP), Maggie Davis-Stinnett (Color) Baylor Social Media:

	NEW HAMPSHIRE (0-0) Location: Durham, N.H. Conference: America East Head Coach: Maureen Magarity (Marist College, 2003) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Before we put a bow on Baylor's 37-1 national championship season and tip off a new year, the Lady Bears will put a ring (or three) on it.
            Prior to Tuesday's 6 p.m. regular-season opener against New Hampshire, there will be a 5:30 p.m. ceremony to unveil Baylor's third national championship banner and present NCAA-issued championship rings and "ridiculous" national championship and Big 12 title rings. Doors to the Ferrell Center will open at 4:30.
            "I don't know that we've ever done a ring ceremony before. I think we've gone into the locker room and just chunked their rings at them and said, 'Here, lock 'em up,''' Mulkey said. "The one that's ridiculous is the (national championship ring) we designed, but the Big 12 (ring) we designed is pretty ridiculous, too."
            Senior guard Juicy Landrum, who averaged 11.1 points and 5.1 rebounds last season, said it feels "like we've been waiting a lifetime" to get their rings.
            "We ask Johnny (Derrick) about it every day," Landrum said of the Assistant AD for Basketball Operations. "He said, 'You'll see when the time comes.' I think he's probably tired of us asking."
            Last year's two seniors, All-American center Kalani Brown and Final Four MVP Chloe Jackson, are both playing overseas and won't be in town for the ceremony.
            "I know they're here in spirit," Landrum said. "And just to be able to celebrate with our teammates and our new teammates, it's going to be fun."
            Jordyn Oliver, the lone freshman, said it will be good for her to sit back and watch the ring ceremony and "know that I'm going to want to do that next year, have it all over again."
            That's certainly the mission as the Lady Bears start the season with a matchup against a New Hampshire team that tied for last in the nine-team American East Conference with a 6-24 record overall.
            "We're definitely missing Kalani and Chloe, you can't replace that," Landrum said. "But still having (Lauren Cox), we've still got an All-American post player, we've got another All-American point guard (South Carolina transfer Te'a Cooper). We've got a chance to get back to another Final Four."
            With Cooper and 6-6 center Erin DeGrate, a grad transfer from Texas Tech, Baylor is loaded for another deep postseason run and ranked second in the preseason Associated Press poll.
            Of course, it starts with the 6-4 Cox, a preseason All-American who averaged 13.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game.
            "Whatever experience they have, Cox makes all the positions look better," Mulkey said.
            Mulkey said she likes the personality of this year's team – "they're a happy bunch, fun-loving, joke, cut up."
            "What's different on the floor, compared to last year, is you have returning players that have experience, but we lost two seniors who had more experience," she said. "Can we make up for that experience? We will eventually. I don't know how quickly we will, but you'll have younger players on the floor."
            Sophomore forwards NaLyssa Smith and Queen Egbo, who were both held out of the two exhibition games, will be "on the floor ready to go when their time comes. If that's tomorrow, you'll be there, because I know you want to see that ring ceremony."
            Lady Bear season ticket-holders will be able to pick up replica national championship rings in games on Jan. 12 (Oklahoma State), Jan. 18 (West Virginia) or Jan. 25 (Texas Tech).
            "That (ring) is ridiculous, too," Mulkey said. "When they look at that, they're going to go, 'Oh, my word!' Three fingers can fit in some of those."
            Tuesday's season opener will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of Bears" John Morris and former Baylor All-American Nina Davis calling the action. Davis is currently working with FOX Sports in Los Angeles.
            Baylor plays its first five games at home, including a 6 p.m. matchup Friday against Grambling State, before a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands to play Washington State, Indiana and South Carolina in the Paradise Jam.

I GOT A REALLY BIG TEAM AND WE NEED SOME REALLY BIG RINGS
Prior to the New Hampshire contest Tuesday, Baylor will celebrate its 2019 NCAA National Championship with a presentation of national championship rings and the reveal of a third NCAA Championship banner in a pregame ceremony beginning at 5:30 p.m. The doors to the Ferrell Center will open 90 minutes out, a change from its normal 60-minute out policy, to give fans a chance to witness the celebration.

FROM COVERS TO CROWNS TO ALL-AMERICA HONORS, THE SPOTLIGHT TURNS TO FOCUS ON A HEALTHY LAUREN COX
April 7 was a roller coaster ride for then-junior Lauren Cox. That night in Tampa, Fla. saw Baylor with a commanding lead late in the third quarter over Notre Dame, then the Lady Bears' leader and defensive anchor – Cox – went down with an apparent serious knee injury. In her absence the No. 1 overall seed's 12-point lead evaporated quickly in the fourth quarter. But, then, Chloe Jackson hit arguably the top two clutch shots in the history of the storied Lady Bears program, including "the scoop" with 3.9 seconds to break an 80-all tie and eventually lift Baylor to an 82-81 national championship victory over the Fighting Irish. The aftermath led to a visibly conflicted Cox who wanted to bask in the joy of Baylor's third NCAA national championship with her teammates, but experienced timidity literally on the crutches she came out of the locker room on to watch the remainder of the game and figuratively with thoughts looming on the severity of her injury and recovery. Then, the coaster started to head back up the hill late on the night of April 8, when Cox's MRI revealed an MCL sprain rather than a ligament torn. The news left Cox healthy and 100 percent for summer practice with preseason accolades flooding in on and off the court.

In November, she'll grace the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Basketball magazine, she was named to the Baylor Homecoming Court and chosen as a "princess" along with three others and the Homecoming Queen out of 54 candidates, she donned the cover of the Baylor Arts & Sciences magazine, was the keynote speaker for an event that raised $50,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and oh yeah: She was a unanimous pick for Preseason First-Team All-America honors by Lindy's Sports, Athlon Sports, Street & Smith's, and she was chosen on the exclusive five-member Associated Press Preseason All-America Team. But, the honors haven't stopped there, she was named Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year and for the third time earned a spot on the WBCA Starting Five Watch List for power forwards and will be a leading candidate for its Katrina McClain Award.

Kalani Brown and Jackson may be gone, but the Lady Bears are confident in Cox to make them a contender in 2019-20.

ALL FIVE POSITIONS COVERED AS LADY BEARS SWEEP NAISMITH HALL OF FAME / WBCA STARTING FIVE AWARD WATCH LISTS
Beginning Oct. 21, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in association with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association began issuing preseason watch lists for their annual "Starting Five Awards." The Lady Bears had a representative for all five positions. For the Nancy Lieberman Award, grad transfer Te'a Cooper earned a spot on the point guard list. The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award honors the best shooting guard in the college game, and Juicy Landrum appeared on the list of 20. The Cheryl Miller Award honors the best small forward in the game and Baylor's DiDi Richards graced the list. The Katrina McClain Award recognizes the top power forward in the game, and Lauren Cox earned a spot on the watchlist for the third-straight year. Finally, Queen Egbo was named to the Lisa Leslie Award watchlist for top center.

HANGIN' WITH MISS-TE'A COOPER
Te'a Cooper got familiar with Baylor last year when the Lady Bears defeated her South Carolina Gamecocks twice by 25 points in each contest. One came on SC's home floor and the other gave Baylor a berth to the Elite 8. Cooper, the Gamecocks' shooting guard, averaged 16.5 points per game in each of those losses to the Lady Bears and finished the year leading SC with 11.9 points per contest. The second-team All-SEC selection will be the second-straight shooting-turned-point guard from the SEC to transfer to Baylor to take over point guard. After Chloe Jackson's success from LSU last year, Cooper elected to use her final year of eligibility at Baylor, a team that needed a point guard. Cooper is no stranger to the one position having started for Tennessee as a freshman in 2015-16. Cooper joined Lauren Cox as a preseason all-America selection by Street & Smith's and was named Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Cooper is engaged to Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard and the couple plans to be married in the summer of 2020.

DEGRATE COMES HOME, OLIVER THE LONE-FISH
The only other newcomers to join the Lady Bears are 6-6 post Erin DeGrate and guard Jordyn Oliver. DeGrate is on her third college, like Cooper, having spent her freshman season with Louisville, her second and third seasons of eligibility with Texas Tech, and she'll return to her hometown to play alongside former high school teammate Juicy Landrum. DeGrate and Landrum won a state title at La Vega High School in Waco in 2014. In 86 college games, DeGrate has averaged 6.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and has shot 49.8 percent from the floor.

Oliver was the lone signee from the 2019 recruiting class, joining Baylor from Prosper High School. The five-star recruit was ranked as high as No. 12 in the nation for the 2019 recruiting classes. She averaged 20 points and nine rebounds as a senior and amassed 2,000 career points at Prosper High School.

GUESS WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN?
Joining Cox are eight other returning lettermen. Landrum joins Cox as the pair makes up the only two seniors. Landrum in addition to earning a spot on the Drysdale Award watch list, was named Preseason All-Big 12. Juniors DiDi Richards and Moon Ursin join the upperclassmen ranks with the Lady Bears. Richards was an All-Big 12 Defensive Team member last season, a preseason honorable mention All-Big 12 selection this year, and she was named to the Cheryl Miller Award watch list. Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey called Moon Ursin "the most improved player of the bunch" in a press conference Thursday. Ursin was also selected as the Baylor representative for the Big 12's Champions For Life, and she will be featured several times throughout the year.

Trinity Oliver will begin her redshirt sophomore season playing without a brace for the first time since her torn ACL in the fall of 2017. Three players remain from the "Fierce Five" recruiting class from 2018 that ranked No. 1 in the nation. Preseason All-Big 12 selection NaLyssa Smith leads that group while posts Queen Egbo & Caitlin Bickle are back as well.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING
A win vs. New Hampshire would extend Baylor's active win streak to 30 games, which is the longest active streak in college women's basketball. In addition, a win over the Wildcats would mark the 40^th consecutive win at the Ferrell Center.

SCORING IS TOUGH VS. THE LADY BEARS
Baylor ranked tops in the nation in 2018-19 in the following categories: Assists (850), Assists Per Game (22.4), Blocked Shots (274), Blocked Shots Per Game (7.2), Defensive Rebounds Per Game (32.0), Rebound Margin (+17.0), Rebounds (1,790), and won-lost percentage (97.4). However, the Lady Bears ranked first in field goal percentage defense (.318) marking the third-straight year to lead the nation. Baylor has also ranked in the top five in eight of the last nine years.