Zenarae Antoine’s ears perked up during Texas State’s media day.
Three of her players, senior guard Avionne Alexander, junior guard Kennedy Taylor and junior forward Da’Nasia Hood, were answering questions from reporters in the Maroon and Gold Room inside the University Events Center on Nov. 10. One question in particular caught Antoine’s attention, though: Who were some of the Bobcats that were stepping up in the offseason?
Antoine knew it was a tough question to answer because, for the first time since the head coach took over the program in 2011, Texas State is deep at multiple positions. There were multiple names that could have come out of the players’ mouths.
“I think that, as a whole team, we’ve all stepped up,” Taylor responded.
The Bobcats feel like they have some unfinished business this year. The team overcame a dreadful 0-8 start to Sun Belt play last season by closing out on a 6-4 run that clinched the last spot in the conference tournament. But all the extra effort that was put into making a tournament appearance went to waste when Texas State got blown out in the first round, 74-50, by UT Arlington — a team the maroon and gold had beaten earlier in the year.
The way they ended last season has put a sour taste in the players’ mouths. They’ve set much higher expectations for themselves coming into this year.
“When we came back in the summer, we were already saying we don’t want to have the same start,” Hood said. “So we’ve just been pushing through and trying to be better from the start, so that we don’t have that same start.”
The team has the pieces to do it. Former guards Brooke and Bailey Holle graduated in the spring and former forward Jayla Johnson transferred to Eastern Kentucky in the offseason, leaving Alexander as the only senior left on the team. But the team’s junior class of Hood, Taylor, guard Ja’Kayla Bowie and forward Jaeda Reed are highly weathered for their age, combining to play 4,304 minutes through their first two seasons in San Marcos.
Alexander said it’s been different being the lone senior on the roster, but that having such an experienced junior class helps get her point across as the Bobcats’ leader.
“The twins were always really good about communicating with us and just making sure they’re always talking to us,” Alexander said. “So that’s definitely one thing I just picked up on, trying to make sure there was still a voice on the court.”
Bowie in particular has stood out this summer to Antoine. The 5-foot-8 Tyler native exploded “in every way imaginable” and has looked comfortable returning to her natural position at guard rathern than forward.
“Off the court, she’s really committed herself to becoming a student and she’s done a great job of that. On the court, she’s become a great teammate, meaning that she’s (making) hustle plays, working hard defensively, cleaning up the boards — very similar to Brooke Holle,” Antoine said. “She’s just strong and aggressive off the bounce … And she’s knocking down that open three. So I think all of that is really exciting for us because that’s the young woman that we knew we signed.”
A trio of juniors are joining the original 2018 signing class this season, all of them transfers from NCAA Division I schools.
Lauryn Thompson was with Texas State all of last year but had to sit the season out due to transfer rules. Antoine said she originally recruited the forward when she was a senior at Arlington Mansfield Timberview, but Thompson initially chose to attend VCU. Now finally playing with the Bobcats, Thompson has made an impression on her teammates.
“(She brings) tenacity,” Taylor said. “You feel her presence every time she steps on the court. Big body in the post, scorer, just a beast all-around.”
Antoine also brought in Gabby Standifer, a sharpshooting forward from Fresno State, and Tiana Eaton, a rangy guard from UC Riverside, to round out the junior class. The head coach said she plans on using an 8-player rotation this season — she could fill it with all upperclassmen if she wishes.
But some of the underclassmen figure to see the court, too, most notably sophomore forward Chelsea Johnson, who averaged 4.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per game as a freshman. Sophomore guards Keslyn King and Jessica Paz Y Puente, and incoming freshmen Presley Bennett, Sierra Dickson and Nicole Leff could all vie for playing time as well.
Many around the league don’t appear to have much faith in Texas State, as the Bobcats were voted to finish 11th with 37 points in the Sun Belt Coaches Poll. Hood was selected to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team, but no other player was named to any other all-conference team.
But the lack of confidence has only made the chip on the team’s shoulder that much bigger.
“It definitely gives us another layer of motivation and makes us want to go harder and fight so we can prove to everyone in our conference that we’re better than what they think we are,” Alexander said. “We’ll probably go in as underdogs but for us, it doesn’t matter because we know that we have great players and we have a lot of talent. So we’re really excited to be able to show that this year.”
Texas State (0-1) fell in its season opener on Saturday at New Orleans, 67-64. The Bobcats will look to bounce back on Thursday when they play SMU in Dallas on Thursday at 7 p.m.
“Nobody wants to be at the bottom,” Taylor said. “So I think it’s just that we gotta come out and prove ourselves every night. You know, nobody really wants to see us, honestly. We bring something to the court that nobody really wants to see.”
