ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University women's basketball will be looking to continue its upward trend in recent years, as it enters the 2017-18 campaign with no less than eight returning letterwinners, four of whom were starters last season. The War Hawks are coming off of a 9-15 campaign, finishing 5-11 in the tough American Southwest Conference race.
Off of its 2016-17 roster, the only starter lost to McM head coach
Brittany Densman-Roes was graduated senior Haley Welch. Returning to the fold is senior guard
Sham Hunter, along with a trio of sophomores in
Skyler Reyna (forward),
London Weilert (guard) and
Isabel Carrion (guard). And while Densman-Roes' squad is "veteran" by definition, her team will still have just one senior, along with one junior and seven sophomore returnees.
Hunter (Abilene, Texas/Abilene H.S.) was a second team All-ASC West Division selection, after gaining notice on both ends of the court for the War Hawks. Hunter led McM in scoring (12.7 p.p.g.) and rebounds (8.6 r.p.g.), as well as topping the team in assists (3.3 a.p.g.), blocks (0.3 b.p.g.) and steals (2.8 s.p.g.). Hunter shot 39.6 percent from the floor and 77.1 percent from the free throw line. She had a team-best six double-doubles this season.
Reyna (San Antonio, Texas/Brackenridge H.S.), in her first collegiate season, proved to be a gem among an impressive freshman class assembled by the McMurry coaching staff last year. Reyna was tabbed on both the ASC West Division honorable mention list, as well as the ASC West All-Freshman Team. Reyna registered a total of five double-doubles this season, while averaging 11.9 points and 7.3 boards per game. She shot better than 39 percent from the floor and nearly 72 percent from the free throw stripe.
Weilert – in her first campaign in the Maroon & White after graduating from nearby Wylie High School in 2015 – was McMurry women's basketball's first-ever recipient of the ASC West Division "Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year" award. Weilert started 22 of 24 games played in 2016-17 and averaged 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
Carrion (Roby, Texas/Roby H.S.) started 22 of 24 games as a freshman, averaging 21.3 minutes per appearance. Carrion also averaged 3.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, while ranking second on the club with 45 assists. She topped the regulars in field goal percentage at nearly 41 percent from the floor.
Other returning players providing depth include: sophomore guard
Kaymee Howell (Halletsville, Texas/Halletsville H.S.), who appeared in all 24 games and averaged 4.8 p.p.g.; sophomore guard
Sarah Doherty (Lubbock, Texas/Lubbock Cooper H.S.), who played in all 24 games as well and contributed 3.0 p.p.g. and 14 three-pointers made;
Britney Beaver (Trent, Texas/Trent H.S.), an outstanding athlete who was also a part of McMurry ASC championship women's track and field team; junior forward
Mackenzie Kimball, who appeared in 16 games last year (after transferring in from Howard Payne University) and averaging 4.6 p.p.g.; and,
Whitney Beaver (Trent, Texas/Trent H.S.), who missed last season with an injury.
Densman-Roes has supplemented the returners with a strong crop of newcomers, including four transfers. The transfers include junior guards
Dominique Machura (Frank Phillips J.C.) and
Monica Jones (Ranger J.C.), as well as a pair of post players from NCAA Division II program Henderson State University, in sophomore Center
BreAnn Ford and junior center
Makyndra Simmons.
The incoming freshman class is composed of: guard
Shawna Faucett (Roby, Texas/Roby H.S.); forward
Shabaria Walter (Dallas, Texas/Nimitz H.S.); and,
Chyna Washington (Brady, Texas/Brady H.S.).
The War Hawks will open the season on November 17-18 at the University of Redlands Classic in Redlands, Calif. McM will face a pair of teams which placed in the top four of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - host Redlands (fourth place) and Chapman University (second place) – on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
McM opens at home on Tuesday (Nov. 21/6 p.m.) with a non-conference bout against Randall University and then travels to East Texas Baptist on Nov. 25 for a non-conference tilt, as well. The War Hawks open ASC play on Nov. 30 at Louisiana College.
Other non-league games will include hosting Texas Lutheran (December 15) and Southwestern University (Dec. 30), a New Year's Day game at perennial NCAA III power Trinity University and a home match-up with Arlington Baptist University (Jan. 26).
