No. 7 WBB Begins New Chapter with Season Opener on Tuesday

Tuesday, November 9

Waco, Texas

7 PM

Baylor

Texas State

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No. 7 WBB Begins New Chapter with Season Opener on Tuesday

11/8/2021 3:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Bears welcome Texas State to tip off 2021-22 season

	BAYLOR BEARS (0-0) Location: Waco,Texas Conference/Affiliation: Big 12 Head Coach: Nicki Collen (Marquette, 1998) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes	BAYLOR (0-0) VS. TEXAS STATE (0-0) November 9, 2021 • 7 p.m. CT Waco, Texas • The Ferrell Center (10,284) LIVE STATS: Stat Broadcast WATCH: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ Talent: John Morris (pxp), Danielle Crockrom (analyst) LISTEN: ESPN 1660AM, 92.3FM, BaylorBears.com Talent: Derek Smith (PBP), Sophia Young-Malcolm (Analyst) Baylor Social Media:

	TEXAS STATE BOBCATS (0-0) Location: San Marcos, Texas Conference/Affiliation: Sun Belt Head Coach: Zenarae Antoine (Colorado St., 1998) Roster \| Stats \| Game Notes

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            If Eight is Enough, like it was proclaimed in the 1970s television show, surely 10 is enough, right?
            After adding walk-on guard Andrea Katramados just days before the first exhibition game, that's how many players first-year Baylor head coach Nikki Collen has on her roster going into Tuesday's 7 p.m. season opener at home against Texas State.
            "I think if you did a deep dive into the statistics on the top-25 teams every year and how many players they actually play rotationally, you're going to find not many teams go past eight," Collen said.
            She quickly throws a "knock on wood" in there, because the Bears need to stay healthy. With only nine scholarship players, "you have to understand that you're a sprained ankle or a positive COVID test away from moving into the rotation," Collen said.
            "So, truly being ready, and not just the coach saying it," she said. "It's not like you're the 13^th or 14^thplayer, and the coaches are telling you to be ready. That's very realistic with this team that we do have to keep all nine of them ready to help us. I think there will be a seven-, eight-player rotation, and we'll extend beyond that depending on the game and the game flow and how we're playing. Hopefully, growth comes and that bench gets considerably deeper."
            Senior forward Caitlin Bickle has seen a number of teammates go down with injuries in her three previous seasons, so "every time someone is on the floor, I'm rushing over to them." But like Collen, she doesn't see the smaller roster as a "huge detriment."
            "I don't think you need 13, 14, 15, whatever players on your team, if you have the right 10," she said. "I think we're all-in and we all know our capabilities. We just have really high expectations for everyone."
            It helps, of course, when you have the best player in the country. NaLyssa Smith, a 6-4 senior forward, is the reigning Wade Trophy winner, Big 12 Player of the Year and first-team All-American after averaging 18.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last season.
            "I'm going to go on the record, she's not one of the best players in the country, she is THE best player in the country," Collen said. "When NaLyssa Smith shows what she's capable of doing, it really is going to be when she's willing to give up a good shot for us to get a great shot, or to get Jordan Lewis a 3 or to set a screen for Sarah Andrews and get her downhill, or it's the high-low pass to Queen (Egbo) or the drop-off pass when the post rotates."
            And while Smith is usually the best option and needs to touch the ball on just about every possession, the Bears "have a lot of players that are very, very capable of scoring, of getting stops, of making plays," Collen said.
            Egbo (11.1 ppg, 8.6 rebounds) is the only other returning starter in a lineup that includes a backcourt of Andrews and grad transfers Lewis (Alabama) and Ja'Mee Asberry (Oklahoma State). Lewis and Asberry both averaged a career-high 17.0 points per game last season and earned all-conference honors in the SEC and Big 12, respectively.
            Along with Bickle and Andrews, who was a perfect 5-of-5 from outside the arc in an exhibition opener against Texas A&M-Commerce, the Bears have a lot of deep threats. Collen has made it clear that this team has the green light to shoot 3-pointers.
            "Everyone can shoot the ball out there," Bickle said. "That was our biggest issue. We played Iowa State two years ago and lost to them, but they didn't have to come out on us. Juicy Landrum was our only shooter. That makes a big difference now, and it opens much so much more of the court."
            Other than Katramados, coming off the bench for the Bears are Bickle, UCLA transfer Jaden Owens, 6-2 freshman forward Kendra Gillispie and former All-Big Ten guard Kamaria McDaniel, who sat out last year with a knee injury.
            Owens said she's trying to take over the defensive stopper role that DiDi Richards held for the last three seasons, earning National Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2020. Richards was a second-round pick by the New York Liberty and earned WNBA All-Rookie Team honors from the Associated Press.
            "I kind of want to step into that role and control the controllables," Owens said. "I know we have a team full of scorers, so that's not something I need to bring to the table. Just being able to guard their best player, whatever coach wants me to do."
            Coming off an 11-11 season, Texas State has a trio of preseason All-Sun Belt Conference picks in 6-1 senior forward Da'Nasia Hood (15.7 ppg, 6.5 rebounds), 6-1 junior forward Lauryn Thompson (11.2 ppg, 6.3 rebounds) and senior point guard Kennedy Taylor (11.5 ppg, 5.1 assists).
            "Their point guard scores at all three levels, she's pretty shifty, and they're going to run her off a ton of high-ball screens," Collen said. "Their '4' player, Hood, presents a lot of the things that NaLyssa can do – the ability to shoot the 3, she's got some mid-range, will attack you off the bounce, either direction."
            Veteran Texas State coach Zenarae Antoine is second in program history with 149 wins going into her 11^th season. She served on the same coaching staffs with Collen at both Louisville and Arkansas under Nicki's husband, Tom Collen.
            "I don't think Texas State is coming in here afraid to play us," Nicki Collen said. "I worked with their head coach and know her very well. I think they'll be ultra-prepared. I don't think they're going to hand us the game, we're going to have to go win it."
            In a quick turnaround, the Bears will travel to play UT-Arlington in the Lady Mavs' season opener at 6 p.m. Thursday at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
            Tuesday's game at the Ferrell Center will be streamed by Big 12 Now on ESPN+, with "Voice of the Bears" John Morris and former Baylor All-American Danielle Crockrom Fontenot calling the action.

NEW BEGINNINGS
    Nicki Collen was announced as the fifth head coach in Baylor women's basketball history on May 3, 2021.
    Collen came to Baylor from the WNBA's Atlanta franchise, where she spent the last three seasons at the helm for the Dream. Her first year in Atlanta resulted in a 23-11 season in 2018, where she earned WNBA Coach of the Year honors and helped the team to the WNBA Playoff Semifinals.
    Collen's collegiate coaching career spanned for nine seasons prior to her WNBA arrival. She spent two seasons as an assistant at Colorado State (2000-02), one season at Ball State (2002-03), one at Louisville (2003-04), three at Arkansas (2011-14) and two at Florida Gulf Coast (2014-16).
    Her teams combined record in nine seasons as an NCAA Division I assistant was 214-74. As an assistant, Collen guided four different squads to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the second round in three of those seasons.

PRESEASON WATCH LISTS
    Jordan Lewis, NaLyssa Smith and Queen Egbo received national accolades before the start of the season.
    Lewis, a graduate transfer from Alabama, was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Preseason Watch List. She was also named the Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. The 5-6 guard put up career numbers for the Crimson Tide a year ago as she averaged career-bests with 17.0 points and 4.2 assists per game.
    Smith, named the Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, was named to the Katrina McClain Award Preseason Watch List. The senior forward won the award a season ago, in addition to taking home the Wade Trophy as the WBCA's National Player of the Year. Smith also garnered All-American honors by five different entities after averaging 18.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
    Egbo, a Preseason All-Big 12 Team member, was named to the Lisa Leslie Award Preseason Watch List. The senior center made it to the Final Five for the award last season after averaging 11.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Egbo moved to ninth all-time on Baylor's career list for blocks (120) with 56 as a junior.

BAYLOR VS. THE STATE OF TEXAS
    In Baylor women's basketball history, the Bears are 376-226 (.625) against opponents from the state of Texas.
    Since 2011, Baylor has played 91 games against in-state opponents and only lost three times.

TCU	17
Texas A&M	6-1
Texas	22-1
UT Arlington	1-0
UTPA	1-0
Texas Southern	2-0
UTSA	1-0
Texas State	1-0
ACU	2-0
Texas Tech	23-1
Lamar	3-0
Houston Baptist	3-0
Rice	2-0
Prairie View A&M	3-0
SFA	1-0

NEW FACES
    Nearly half the Baylor roster make their BU debut this season.
    Transfers Lewis and Ja'Mee Asberry come in as sharpshooters from the perimeter after stellar careers at Alabama and Oklahoma State, respectively. Freshman Kendra Gillispie will add some depth to the front court for the Bears, and freshman walk-on Andrea Katramados brings some shooting power of her own.
    While senior Kamaria McDaniel was on the Baylor roster last season, the Penn State transfer missed the entire season due to injury. She is fully cleared and ready to add her All-Big Ten talent to the mix.

LET IT FLY
    Baylor has been toward the bottom in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting in years past. That won't be the case this season.
    Keep track of Baylor's program records for 3-pointers made (210, 2016-17) and attempted (596, 2013-14) because those numbers are sure to fall.
    Last season, the Bears went 110-332 (.331) from the 3-point line. Transfers Jordan Lewis and Ja'Mee Asberry combined to go 125-312 (.401) last season at Alabama and Oklahoma State, respectively.
    In Baylor's first exhibition of the season against Texas A&M-Commerce, BU went 10-for-23 from behind the arc. Andrews alone went 5-for-5.