Nov. 13, 2008
WACO, Texas -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
#19/17 Baylor (0-0) vs.
Florida Atlantic (0-0) - Friday, Nov. 14 - 7 p.m.
#2/2 Stanford - Sunday, Nov. 16 - 2 p.m.
Ferrell Center - Waco, Texas
OVER THE AIRWAVES
TV: None
Webcast:
BaylorBears.com - live audio (free) and video (pay)
Radio:
ISP Sports Network
92.9 FM-KLRK (Friday)
1660 AM-KRZI/ESPN (Sunday)
www.baylorbears.com
Radio Talent:
Rick May (Play-by-play)
Julie Bennett (Color analyst, Florida Atlantic)
Lori Fogleman (Color analyst, Stanford)
Live Stats:
www.baylorbears.com
BAYLOR LADY BEARS
IN THE POLLS
19 - Associated Press
17 - USA Today/ESPN Coaches
PROBABLE STARTERS
15-Jhasmin Player-Sr., G, 5-10 - 12.2 ppg, 6.0 ppg*
5-Melissa Jones-So., G, 5-10 - 5.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg*
3-Jessica Morrow-Sr., G, 6-0 - 11.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg*
14-Rachel Allison-Sr., F, 6-0 - 13.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg*
11-Danielle Wilson-Jr., P, 6-3 10.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg*
TOP RESERVES 21-Kelli Griffin-So., G, 5-8 - 2.8 ppg, 1.8 ppg*
* 2007-08 statistics
BAYLOR OPENS 2008-09 SEASON
The 19th-ranked Baylor Lady Bears open their 2008-09 season facing two opponents within a three-day span, hosting Florida Atlantic and second-ranked Stanford on Friday, Nov. 14 and Sunday, Nov. 16, respectively.
The matchup against the Florida Atlantic Owls will be the season opener for both squads and will be the first meeting between the two schools. The Owls, under the direction of Chancellor Dugan, return five starters off last season's 6-22 squad.
The Stanford Cardinal, led by head coach Tara VanDerveer, return four starters off last season's NCAA Tournament runner-up squad which finished the year at 35-4. Stanford hosts Minnesota in its season opener on Friday, Nov. 14, prior to traveling to Waco.
FORMER LADY BEAR Sophia Young TO BE HONORED SUNDAY
Former Lady Bear Sophia Young will have her jersey retired by the women's basketball program at halftime of Sunday's game against Stanford. Young, the Lady Bear program's most highly decorated player, a two-time consensus All-American, was the fourth player selected in the 2006 WNBA draft. She is a two-time WNBA All-Star and was recently named first-team All-WNBA.
HOLD ON TO TEXAS A&M TICKET STUBS
Fans attending Saturday's Baylor-Texas A&M football game can use their ticket stubs to purchase tickets to the BU-Stanford game for $5 each at the door on Sunday. The Ferrell Center ticket office opens at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
HEAD COACH Kim Mulkey
When Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey accepted the position of women's basketball head coach at Baylor University, few could have predicted the dramatic and prestigious turn the program was about to take. In just eight years at Baylor, the former All-American and Olympic Gold medalist has guided the Lady Bear basketball program to the pinnacle of women's basketball, the 2005 NCAA national championship, seven NCAA Tournament appearances and eight 20-win seasons.
The 2005 national title was Baylor's first for a women's team sport and the first basketball national title, men's or women's, in the Big 12 Conference's 12-year history.
In winning the 2005 title, Mulkey became the first person, man or woman, to win a basketball national championship as a player, assistant coach and head coach.
En route to the NCAA championship, the Lady Bears won their first Big 12 Conference championship and were the league's tournament champion as well.
Mulkey has produced amazing results since taking over the reins of the program on April 4, 2000, averaging 26.1 wins a season. In her eight years at the program's helm, she has posted an impressive 208-60 (.776) record which ranks her No. 8 nationally in winning percentage.
Since taking over a squad that was just 7-20 the season prior to her arrival, Mulkey has guided the Lady Bears to eight postseason appearances, including seven NCAA Tournaments and a trip to the WNIT finals.
Mulkey's autobiography, "Won't Back Down", hit bookstores on Nov. 1, 2007, the paperback edition became available on Sept. 8, 2008.
BAYLOR IN SEASON OPENERS
The Lady Bears are 27-7 in season openers, including a 14-1 record at home. Under head coach Kim Mulkey, Baylor is 7-1 in season openers including a 4-0 mark in the Ferrell Center:
2000-01 - Defeated Miami (Ohio), 75-62, at Boston (Boston University Invitational)
2001-02 - Defeated North Texas, 85-78, at Reno (Nevada Bell Classic)
2002-03 - Defeated Princeton, 86-47, at Waco (Women's Sports Foundation Tournament)
2003-04 - Defeated Mississippi State, 88-45, at Waco
2004-05 - Lost to LSU, 71-70, at Austin (State Farm Tip-Off Classic)
2005-06 - Defeated Georgia, 84-72, at Lubbock (State Farm Tip-Off Classic)
2006-07 - Defeated North Texas, 84-47, at Waco (Preseason WNIT)
2007-08 - Defeated Howard, 83-31, at Waco (Basketball Travelers Tip Off Tournament)
In home openers at the Ferrell Center, Baylor is 17-3 (since Nov. 25, 1988). In fact, Baylor has won 15 consecutive home openers beginning with the 1993-94 season. Baylor has opened its season in the Ferrell Center seven times and is 6-1 in those games.
1988 - Lost to Southwest Texas, 88-76, Nov. 25.
1993 - Defeated Prairie View A&M, 103-35, Dec. 1.
1996 - Defeated North Texas, 69-57, Nov. 22.
1999 - Defeated McNeese State, 71-41, Nov. 20.
2003 - Defeated Mississippi State, 88-45, Nov. 21.
2007 - Defeated North Texas, 84-47, Nov. 10.
2008 - Defeated Howard, 83-31, Nov. 9.
THE LADY BEAR RETURNEES
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 a year ago.
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, helping Baylor to a 20-1 overall record and an 8-0 Big 12 mark.
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 as rookies, 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.
BEVY OF NEWCOMERS
An abundance of newcomers, two staff and six players, grace this season's Lady Bear program.
Baylor's two new staffers are no strangers to Kim Mulkey who. She is reunited with her former boss and coach at Louisiana Tech, the legendary Leon Barmore, who signed 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.
Baylor's six newcomers include four freshmen and two transfers. Junior Morghan Medlock (Pasadena, Calif.) will have two years of eligibility left after transferring to Baylor from USC. Whitney Zachariason (Little Rock, Ark.), a transfer from the University of Arkansas, will become eligible to play at the conclusion of the fall semester (first game will be Dec. 20 vs. Oregon) after sitting out in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. Freshman include Terran Condrey (Eufaula, Ala./Eufaula HS), Ashley Field (Burnet, Texas/Faith Academy), Lindsay Palmer (Tulsa, Okla./Union HS) and Cherrish Wallace (Pasadena, Calif./John Muir HS). All newcomers attended Baylor summer sessions and participated in the Lady Bears' strength and conditioning program.
BAYLOR IN THE RANKINGS
The Baylor Lady Bears are ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll. Baylor has been ranked in a school-record 92 straight AP polls dating back to week nine of the 2003-04 listing when it broke in at No. 24.
In the USA Today ESPN Division I Top 25 Coaches preseason poll, the Lady Bears are ranked No. 17 nationally.
CAPTAINS
Seniors Rachel Allison and Jhasmin Player have been named team captains for the 2007-08 season.
PRESEASON HONORS
Seniors Rachel Allison and Jessica Morrow were named All-Big 12 preseason honorable mention from the league's coaches.
HALL OF FAME COACHES
With the addition of Leon Barmore to the Lady Bear coaching staff, 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 2008-09 staff. Head coach Kim 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.
MULKEY VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
With Baylor's loss to 20th-ranked Oklahoma State on March 6, 2008, head coach Kim Mulkey is now 39-41 against ranked opponents.
Since a 69-55 loss to No. 15 Texas during the 2004-05 season, Baylor is 24-17 versus ranked opponents.
HOME SWEET HOME
In Kim Mulkey's eight seasons along the Ferrell Center sidelines, her teams have posted some impressive numbers in the venue. The Lady Bears have maintained a 115-15 (.885) Ferrell Center record during that time span. Mulkey's first three seasons produced a 44-8 (.849) Ferrell Center mark while over the past five years the Lady Bears are 71-7 (.910).
The Lady Bears were 17-1 at home in 2007-08 and have won 58 of their last 63 home games.
2000-01 - 12-2
2001-02 - 15-2
2002-03 - 17-4
2003-04 - 12-2
2004-05 - 14-0
2005-06 - 12-1
2006-07 - 16-3
2007-08 - 17-1
SERIES RECORDS
Friday's contest marks the first meeting between the Lady Bears and the Florida Atlantic Owls. In games against Sun Belt Conference opponents, Baylor holds a 27-17 lead.
Sunday's contest marks the Lady Bears' third meeting with the Stanford Cardinal. The series is tied 1-1 with Baylor winning, 63-59, on Dec. 2, 1983, in Las Vegas and the Cardinal posting an 87-63 victory last season at Stanford. The Lady Bears are 15-9 against Pacific-10 opponents and will match up twice more this season against the conference with road games at Oregon (Dec. 20) and California (Dec. 22).
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Florida Atlantic - The matchup against the Florida Atlantic Owls will be the season opener for both squads and the first meeting between the two schools. The Owls, under the direction of Chancellor Dugan, return five starters off last season's 6-22 squad. Leading the Owls are junior guard Carla Stubbs who averaged 12.6 points an outing last season and sophomore forward Jaimie Given's 11.1 points per game.
Stanford - The second-ranked Stanford Cardinal, led by head coach Tara VanDerveer, return four starters from last season's NCAA Tournament runner-up squad which finished the year at 35-4. Stanford hosts Minnesota in its season opener on Friday, Nov. 14, prior to traveling to Waco.
Jayne Appel (junior, 6-3, forward/center) and Kayla Pederson (sophomore, 6-4, forward) averaged 15.0 and 12.6 points, respectively for the Cardinal in 2007-08. In addition, they were the squad's top rebounders with Appel averaging 8.8 a game and Pedersen hauling in 8.4 an outing.
THE COACHES
Florida Atlantic's Chancellor Dugan begins her 10th season at the Owl helm and 18th season overall as a head coach. She is 111-151 at Florida Atlantic and owns a career mark of 270-224.
The 2008-09 season marks Tara VanDerveer's 23rd season at Stanford and 30th overall. She is 572-137 with the Cardinal and 724-188 all time.
ACROSS THE NATION
The Lady Bear roster consists of 12 players from seven states, ranging from coast-to-coast, and four from the state of Texas.
Danielle Wilson hails from New York while Morghan Medlock and Cherrish Wallace call California home. Arkansas boasts Rachel Allison while Melissa Jones is from Colorado, Terran Condrey is from Alabama and Lindsay Palmer hails from Oklahoma. Ashley Field, Kelli Griffin, Jessica Morrow and Jhasmin Player are all from Texas.
