WBB set to open 2020-21 season on Wednesday

Game 1
Wednesday, November 25 • 6:30 pm • Johnson Coliseum (1,218)
Sam Houston (0-0) vs Midwestern State (0-0)

Game 2
Saturday, November 28 • 6:30 pm • Johnson Coliseum (1,218)
Sam Houston (0-0) vs Central Baptist (5-0)

HUNTSVILLE – After arguably the strangest off-season in recent memory, the Sam Houston Women's Basketball team are scheduled to kick off the 2020-21 season this week by hosting games against Midwestern State and Central Baptist.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, fans are reminded that no walk-up ticket sales will be allowed at Johnson Coliseum this season and fans are asked to be aware of all COVID-19 procedures and protocols. That information can be found HERE.

Expectations are high for the Kats going into the year after a season that saw them rack up Division I program records in single-season wins (19) and conference wins (14) before the 2019-20 season was cut short due to COVID-19 global pandemic.

Coach Ravon Justice's squad will welcome seven newcomers to the roster, but will likely rely heavily on a strong corps of returners that is headlined by preseason all-Southland Conference first teamers Amber Leggett and Faith Cook.

Leggett turned in a breakout sophomore season last year, earning all-SLC first team honors and a spot on the league's all-defensive team after ranking near the top of the league rankings in both points (15.6) and steals (2.8) per game.

She enters this season knocking on the door of 1,000 career points and will likely be flanked by Cook in the starting lineup, the reigning SLC Newcomer of the Year. Now a redshirt senior, Cook came off her redshirt year after transferring from UTEP to make a big difference on the Kats' lineup a season ago. She averaged 10.7 points per game and quickly made her mark as one of the top 3-point marksmen in the league, ranking sixth in the Southland after hitting 38.4 percent of her shots from distance.

The Kats are also expecting big contributions from senior Courtney Cleveland who started 17 games a year ago after transferring from Pratt CC. She found her fit in Justice's style of play early on and proved to be a big spark to the roster on numerous occasions, averaging 7.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the season.

Senior Alyssa Osborne and redshirt freshman Sydnee Kemp could also figure into the mix in the backcourt, while Justice also likes what she has seen from both Kaylee Jefferson and Madelyn Batista, a pair of players who saw significant action a year ago and will likely be asked to play even bigger roles this season at the post and forward slots.

The Kats will also get some help in the middle in Alyvia Essex, who missed all of 2019-20 with an injury, and newcomers Shameka Tubbs and Deondra Young. Tubbs joins the Kats as a graduate transfer from Arkansas State where she played in 28 games and made seven starts for the Red Wolves, while Young comes to Huntsville after a banner career at Bryan's Rudder High School where she averaged a double-double each of her final two seasons.

Additionally, Sam Houston made a number of key additions in the backcourt and will likely go into the season with more depth than it has had since Justice's arrival. Junior college transfer guards Jacquelyn Levay, Kristine Ezimako and Jolicia Williams could each be in the rotation very early on, while high school point guard Diamond Hunter comes in with high expectations after a pair of state titles in Louisiana.

Levay was a key get for Justice as she earned all-Suncoast Conference first team honors last year, hitting 41.6 percent from the 3-point arc on her way to averaging 11.9 points per game. Williams, meanwhile, earned all-region honors of her own last year for Southwest Mississippi CC, pumping in 14.8 points per game for the Lady Bears one year after averaging 10.8 points per game for Panola College in 2018-19.

Ezimako is coming off earning both all-region and all-conference honors at Blinn College a year ago, averaging 15.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game following a career at Cy Creek High School that saw her help the Cougars reach the state semifinals in Class 6A. Hunter, meanwhile, could see time in the rotation at point guard after being one of the more decorated prep players in Louisiana during her career. She was twice named MVP of the Louisiana Division II state title game, going for 27 points and 12 boards as a junior and for 35 points as a senior.

WBB set to open 2020-21 season on Wednesday

Players Mentioned

Madelyn Batista

Courtney Cleveland

Faith Cook

Alyvia Essex

Kristine Ezimako

Diamond Hunter

Kaylee Jefferson

Sydnee Kemp

Amber Leggett

Jacquelyn Levay

Alyssa Osborne

Shameka Tubbs

Jolicia Williams

Deondra Young

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