Oct. 18, 2008
WACO, Texas - With the two days of practice behind them, the Baylor Lady Bears have embarked on the process of building a cohesive squad out of six returnees and seven newcomers.
"I thought the first day, the first couple of days were excellent, the effort the intensity was outstanding," said head coach Kim Mulkey. "The most impressive thing to me is the competitiveness of the players. They're fighting for playing time and it's just fun to conduct a practice where you've got competition at every position."
Mulkey, beginning her ninth season at the helm of the Lady Bear program, welcomes two new staff members and seven new players to the program for the upcoming campaign.
Mulkey's two new staffers are no strangers to her. She is reunited with her former boss and coach at Louisiana Tech, the legendary Leon Barmore, who joined on as an assistant coach, and a former Lady Bear graduate assistant Rekha Patterson, who was hired as coordinator of basketball operations. With the addition of Barmore, Baylor becomes one of just three women's programs, joining Tennessee and Rutgers, with at least two Women's Basketball Hall of Fame members on its staff. Mulkey was enshrined in 2000 while Barmore entered the Hall in 2003. In addition, Barmore was a 2003 inductee into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Barmore's addition will give the Lady Bears plenty of head coaching brainpower as former Princeton head coach Richard Barron joined on as associate head coach in 2007.
"I am so pleased to have Leon Barmore and Rekha Patterson as part of our staff. Coach Barmore missed the game and the game missed him. He will be an outstanding addition to our program. Rekha is one of the up-and-coming individuals in our profession. She has what it takes to become one of the best coaches in the country," said Mulkey.
Six players, including four starters, return from last season's 25-7 squad that finished second in the Big 12 Conference at 12-4, advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finished the season ranked No. 12 in the Associated Press Poll and No. 19 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
"Although we will definitely miss Angela Tisdale's leadership and 16.4 points a game, we have a quality group that gained a ton of experience last year and an outstanding group of newcomers," said Mulkey.
Baylor's trio of seniors, Rachel Allison, Jhasmin Player and Jessica Morrow, will team with three other returnees, junior Danielle Wilson and sophomores Kelli Griffin and Melissa Jones to lead the Lady Bears this season. Experience will not be an issue for the returnees as every player started in at least six games in 2007-08. Leading Baylor's charge this season will be Allison, a 2008 first-team All-Big 12 and All-Defensive selection, as well as an AP All-America honorable mention last season. The 6-1 post averaged 13.1 points, which ranked second on the team, and a team-leading 8.5 rebounds as a junior. In addition, she led the squad in steals with 51 and blocked 23 shots.
Player, a 5-10 guard, saw her season cut short last year when, 21 games into the season, she was felled by a torn ACL. She underwent reconstructive surgery in March and was given medical clearance in late August to play this season. Prior to her injury, Player averaged 12.2 points and 6.0 rebounds a game and had started in every contest.
Morrow, a 6-0 guard/forward, was one of five Lady Bears to average double-digit scoring last season. After scoring 11.7 points an outing as a junior, she enters her senior campaign with 919 career points. Morrow's athleticism enabled her to register 35 blocks and 34 steals in 2007-08.
Wilson, Baylor's tallest player at 6-3, has established herself as one of the nation's premier shot blockers. In just two seasons, she has rejected 166 shots, becoming Baylor's all-time shot blocker. As a sophomore, Wilson averaged 10.4 points and 6.8 rebounds a game, and she will be looked upon to anchor the middle for the Lady Bears this season.
Baylor's two sophomores, Griffin and Jones, saw plenty of action their rookie season, as both players played in all 32 games. In fact, Griffin, a 5-7 point guard, started eight contests and Jones, a 5-10 guard, got the starting nod in six games. Jones proved to be the more consistent of the two, averaging 5.4 points and 5.6 rebounds a game while Griffin scored 2.8 a game and collected 47 assists. In addition, Jones' hustle and nose for the ball resulted in 35 steals and 15 blocks.
The addition of two transfers should bolster the roster as well. Junior Morghan Medlock, a 2006 McDonald's and Parade All-American, joins the program after transferring from the University of Southern California. She received a waiver from the NCAA and will be eligible this season. Medlock spent two seasons as a Trojan, averaging 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds as a sophomore and 6.4 points and 4.3 boards her rookie season. She is a post player that can play with her back to the basket and also play facing the hoop.
Whitney Zachariason, although a transfer from the University of Arkansas, will see her first official collegiate action when the Lady Bears play at Oregon (Dec. 20). The Arkansas native played in two exhibition games in September 2007 for the Razorbacks before leaving the program prior to regular season play. The 6-2 sophomore earned Arkansas' Gatorade Girls' Player of the Year honors as a senior. A prolific scorer as a prep, she is expected to be a three-point threat for Baylor. Her size will allow her to play inside and outside.
The freshman class, which counts four guards and a post, is rich in talent, speed and athleticism. Brianna Brown (Chandler, Ariz.), Terran Condrey (Eufaula, Ala.) and Cherrish Wallace (Pasadena, Calif.) all possess the tools to challenge for playing time. All three are extremely athletic, see the court well and can score.
Brown, a first-team all-state selection, has a 33.3-inch vertical leap, is extremely strong and agile. Condrey, a first-team all-state selection who was named MVP of the state tournament, led her prep team to the Alabama 5A state championship. Wallace, a two-time first team All-California Interscholastic Federation selection, was a four-year starter at John Muir HS. She is extremely quick and can see the floor extremely well. Another guard, Lindsay Palmer (Tulsa, Okla.), is expected to see significant action at the No. 2 and 3 spot. A pure shooter, she led Tulsa Union to the Class 6A state championship. The first-team all-state selection was also named a Miss Basketball All-American. She has great range from the three-point line.
Ashley Field (Burnet, Texas), a 6-2 post, is Baylor's lone newcomer hailing from the state of Texas. The two-time all-state selection is also a two-time TABC and TAPPS Small Private School Player of the Year while playing at Marble Falls' Faith Academy. Field will play in the paint but is also a three-point threat. She is now one of four post players who will have the ability to play with their back to the basket and facing the basket.
Lady Bear fans will get their first glimpse of the team when they host the Houston Jaguars in an exhibition contest on Monday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. Baylor will open its regular season on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. when Florida Atlantic comes to the Ferrell Center.
