Not throwing away their shot - The Rider Newspaper

Women’s basketball young, hungry entering 2024-25

Sophomore guard Jayda Holiman dribbles the ball during practice Tuesday afternoon in the UTRGV Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus. Angel Ballesteros/THE RIDER

A renewed sense of hope and optimism is in the air around the UTRGV Women’s Basketball Team, as it enters the 2024-25 season in a new conference with a desire to prove doubters wrong.

The team will seek to turn results around from what head coach Lane Lord described as a “rough year for us.” Last season, the Vaqueros finished 6-23 overall and 5-23 in the Western Athletic Conference.

During the offseason, the university announced its intention to leave the WAC and join the Southland Conference.

Lord said team health, chemistry, depth and veteran leadership are the biggest changes compared to last season.

“The biggest difference from this year and last year is No. 1, we stayed healthy so far,” Lord said at a news conference Tuesday as he knocked on the table in the Fieldhouse media room. “And No. 2, our chemistry is at an all-time high. I think that has to do with great leadership from Kade Hackerott and some of our returners.”

This season, the Vaqueros will have eight new players on the roster, five of whom are incoming freshmen and three from the transfer portal. The remainder of the roster are returning players from last season.

Freshman guard Gianna Angiolet prepares to shoot the ball during practice Tuesday afternoon in the UTRGV Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus. Angel Ballesteros/THE RIDER

“We got a really good mix of experience and newcomers,” Lord said. “It’s been neat to see how the chemistry has grown from June to this point right now.”

Of the returning players, he pointed out how important leadership from veterans, such as graduate guard/forward Hackerott, will be. Last season, she averaged 11.9 points and 8.1 rebounds in 29 games started.

Hackerott told reporters she seeks to improve her shooting and be a better finisher at the rim. She also said she wants to “lead by example” and help the newcomers and young players on the team.

“I’ve just had a year here [at UTRGV] under my belt,” Hackerott said. “I know coach Lord trusts me to execute his game plan and help the young kids kinda do that.”

Also returning to the mix is sophomore guard Jayda Holiman. In her freshman year, Holiman averaged 9.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 19 games played, nine of which were starts.

She said the team is “pumped up” to finish the season and ready to play at a “consistent” level.

“We have a lot of hard workers on the team,” Holiman said. “We know we have to come in here with a whole, ‘Let’s go. Let’s get it [mentality].’ I feel like we can win the whole conference.”

One of the five incoming freshmen is guard Gianna Angiolet. Brought in to solidify UTRGV’s attack from behind the arc, Angiolet averaged 18.1 points per game and shot 41% from three in her senior season at Westlake High School in Austin.

She is “excited” to make her collegiate basketball debut and to begin playing opponents other than her teammates in practice.

“I think we have a lot of confidence in our team [and] our ability to hit shots and play together,” Angiolet said. “I’m excited to play at the next level and just kinda get a feel for what that’s like. It’s been a dream of mine for a while now and it’s fun that it’s coming true.”

UTRGV Women’s Basketball will open the 2024-25 season on the road at 7 p.m. Tuesday against the University of Houston Cougars (14-16, 5-13 Big 12 last year). Fans can watch it via Big 12 Now on ESPN+.