Oct. 14, 2005
WACO, Texas - Baylor's women's basketball team, 2005 NCAA and Big 12 Conference champions, began preparation for defending its titles as the squad took to the floor for its first practice of the 2005-06 season on Friday night at the Student Life Center on the Baylor campus.
Head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson and her staff of Bill Brock, Jennifer Roberts and Johnny Derrick welcomed 12 players to the court including seven returnees, four freshmen and a transfer student. "I loved the effort today, the pace for practice was very quick. I like intense practices, where we keep it moving," said Mulkey-Robertson.
Headlining the Baylor returnees is All-American Sophia Young. The 6-1 senior from St. Vincent, in the Grenadines, a contender for national player of the year honors and a consensus preseason All-American, returns for her senior season after leading the Lady Bears to the national title as a junior. Young, who has led Baylor in scoring and rebounding all three seasons on the Waco campus, averaged 18.4 points and 9.3 rebounds last year and averages 16.5 points and 9.3 rebounds for her career. In addition to being named most outstanding player at the NCAA's Final Four, Tempe Regional and Big 12 Championship, Young earned 2004-05 first-team All-America honors from both Kodak/WBCA and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association of America. She is the first player in school history so honored by the writers' organization and is its third Kodak honoree. Young also was named second-team All-America by The Associated Press and earned first-team All-District honors from Kodak/WBCA. The two-time first-team All-Big 12 performer, in nine career NCAA Tournament games has averaged 22.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per outing, which includes 2004-05 marks of 23.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg. She shot 51.9 percent (54-for-104) from the floor and 78.9 percent (30-of-38) at the line in BU's six 2005 NCAA Tournament wins.
Chameka Scott and Abiola Wabara return to their starting spots for 2005-06. Scott, probably one of the team's most improved players last season, combines outstanding defense with a dead-eye aim from three-point range. The 6-0 senior shooting guard started 35 of 36 games last season and can play the two or the three spot. As a junior the Friendswood, Texas, native averaged 7.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 25.9 minutes a game. In addition, the long-armed Scott ranked second on the team in blocked shots with 29 and was one steal off the team lead at 69. Wabara, a 6-1 junior, has big shoes to fill in the paint with the graduation of All-American Steffanie Blackmon. Wabara, who hails from Parma, Italy, has all of the tools to dominate down low and should benefit from increased playing time. She started 23 of the squad's 36 games and posted a .473 shooting percentage while seeing 16.1 minutes of action a game.
Returnees Angela Tisdale and LaToya Wyatt saw considerable action last year and will be counted upon even more in 2005-06. Tisdale, a 5-5 point guard, is expected to quarterback the squad this season. The Austin, Texas, native, who can knock it down from three-point range, started nine contests in 2004-05 and averaged 14.7 minutes, 3.7 points and 2.5 assists a game playing behind veteran Chelsea Whitaker. Tisdale proved to be one of the Big 12's top rookies last season, ranking No. 2 among freshman in assists and No. 4 in three-point percentage. Wyatt, a speedster who developed into a defensive stopper in her rookie season after transferring from Waco's McLennan Community College, should step into a starting role this, her junior campaign. The 5-7 guard out of Fort Worth, Texas, can drain it from the outside or drive the lane. She averaged 11.8 minutes and 3.9 points a game but maintained a .473 shooting percentage from the floor, including a .458 mark from beyond the arc. During Baylor's NCAA Tournament run, Wyatt shot 57.1 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from three-point range.
Senior guard Jordan Davis (Celina, Texas) steadily worked her way back into shape last season after redshirting her true junior season after suffering from blood clots. She showed flashes of her former form proving to be a definite threat for the long bomb. Chisa Ononiwu, a 5-7 sophomore guard, didn't see much court action as a freshman (3.8 mpg in 13 appearances) but has worked hard over the summer and is one of the squad's quickest players. Ononiwu, who hails from Houston, Texas, could see increased court time this season.
In order for the Lady Bears to achieve their lofty goals, the newcomers will need to make large contributions this season. And, with the caliber of players the coaching staff brought in, that is a definite possibility. Jessica Morrow, Jhasmin Player and Tricia Abbott, all from the Houston area, and Arkansas native Rachel Allison, represent the deepest, most talented Lady Bear recruiting class to date, all four were all-state selections.
Morrow (Humble, Texas) and Player (Bay City, Texas) come to Baylor after earning TABC Class 5A and 4A player of the Year honors, respectively. Morrow, a three-time all-state selection and two-time district MVP was touted as one of the state's best recruits. She averaged 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists as a senior. She led the Humble Wildcats to the 5A state championship game and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the championship game.
Player, a 5-10 guard, averaged 32 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals as a senior at Bay City High School. A two-time all-state and all-district selection, Player was rated one of the top 10 players in the state. Morrow and Player won't be on the court for the first time together at Baylor, as they were teammates on the Houston Hotshots AAU team that won the BCI National Tournament and finished second in the AAU nationals. Both players earned BCI and AAU All-American status.
Also joining Morrow and Player on the Hotshots was fellow Baylor teammate Abbott, who also earned dual All-American honors. En route to earning all-state and district MVP honors, Abbott, a 6-3 post, averaged 19.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 4.9 blocks and 2.2 steals as a senior at Houston's Memorial High School. In addition, she shot 73.0 percent from the free throw line and 59.9 percent from the floor.
Baylor's lone out-of-state newcomer, Allison, comes to the program with impressive credentials as well. A 6-1athletic forward/post out of Jonesboro, Ark., was a two-time all-state selection in basketball and earned all-state honors three times in volleyball. As a senior, Allison averaged 18.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 blocks a game.
Bernice Mosby, a 6-1 forward, transferred to Baylor from the University of Florida and will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules. However, she is allowed to practice with the Lady Bears.
