Early last year the players and coach were not on the same page. The Sam Houston game at SFA was a big turning point as the players started to become Kellogg converts. I expect to see significant improvement with the additional exposure to his style and game plans. There is little doubt these young ladies can play at a high level and they will be fun to watch this year.
Photo by Gregg Ellman, UTA Athletics
Stephen F. Austin Women's Basketball
Lookout SLC: SFA's Ladyjacks make a big statement
When Stephen F. Austin women’s basketball head coach Mark Kellogg addressed the crowd at William R. Johnson Coliseum back in October for “Midnight Madness,” he mentioned the Ladyjacks’ third place position in preseason polls at least three times.
Both the SIDs and coaches of the Southland Conference tapped the Ladyjacks to finish behind defending champs Abilene Christian (regular season) and Central Arkansas (tournament). Clearly, SFA’s second year coach disagreed.
On Saturday, the Ladyjacks put the conference on notice with a statement win over the previously undefeated Lady Mavs of UT-Arlington. Evidently with something to prove, Kellogg’s program was ready to play basketball on Saturday.
“SFA did a great job of coming out and attacking us from the tip,” said UTA Head Coach Krista Gerlich. “They certainly were motivated and threw the first punch.”
Gregg Ellman, UTA Athletics
Stevi Parker (SFA) and Crystal Allen (UTA) dive for a loose ball during the Ladyjacks 65-60 win in Arlington.
Make no mistake, this was a huge win for Kellogg’s Ladyjacks.
41st in RPI, 16th in the CollegeInsider mid-major Top 25, and receiving a vote in the USA Today Coaches Poll after a blazing hot 5-0 start, the Lady Mavs faced the Ladyjacks at home six days after smashing Seton Hall (a 20+ win team each of the last three seasons) by 25 points.
On Saturday, especially early on, it was SFA doing the smashing as they came roaring out of the gate with a 15-2 run. Each time UTA battled back, the Jacks responded. It wasn’t a blowout or anything remotely close, but it made a resounding proclamation in the land of mid-major women’s hoops.
The final result? A 65-60 road victory against an excellent opponent, revenge for a defeat in Nacogdoches at the hands of UTA last season – and maybe a shoutout to Southland SIDs and coaches who probably dismissed this group a little too quickly.
It’s early and the young season for SFA is far from perfect, but since dropping a couple early to South Dakota and Texas A&M, these Ladyjacks have been looking like a formidable foe.
The aforementioned ACU and UCA have pretty good teams too, no doubt. But if I were coaching in the Southland, there probably isn’t a squad I’d like to see less than the one led by Taylor Ross, Adrienne Lewis, Stevi Parker, and their gang of Ladyjacks.
Both the SIDs and coaches of the Southland Conference tapped the Ladyjacks to finish behind defending champs Abilene Christian (regular season) and Central Arkansas (tournament). Clearly, SFA’s second year coach disagreed.
On Saturday, the Ladyjacks put the conference on notice with a statement win over the previously undefeated Lady Mavs of UT-Arlington. Evidently with something to prove, Kellogg’s program was ready to play basketball on Saturday.
“SFA did a great job of coming out and attacking us from the tip,” said UTA Head Coach Krista Gerlich. “They certainly were motivated and threw the first punch.”
Gregg Ellman, UTA Athletics
Stevi Parker (SFA) and Crystal Allen (UTA) dive for a loose ball during the Ladyjacks 65-60 win in Arlington.
Make no mistake, this was a huge win for Kellogg’s Ladyjacks.
41st in RPI, 16th in the CollegeInsider mid-major Top 25, and receiving a vote in the USA Today Coaches Poll after a blazing hot 5-0 start, the Lady Mavs faced the Ladyjacks at home six days after smashing Seton Hall (a 20+ win team each of the last three seasons) by 25 points.
On Saturday, especially early on, it was SFA doing the smashing as they came roaring out of the gate with a 15-2 run. Each time UTA battled back, the Jacks responded. It wasn’t a blowout or anything remotely close, but it made a resounding proclamation in the land of mid-major women’s hoops.
The final result? A 65-60 road victory against an excellent opponent, revenge for a defeat in Nacogdoches at the hands of UTA last season – and maybe a shoutout to Southland SIDs and coaches who probably dismissed this group a little too quickly.
It’s early and the young season for SFA is far from perfect, but since dropping a couple early to South Dakota and Texas A&M, these Ladyjacks have been looking like a formidable foe.
The aforementioned ACU and UCA have pretty good teams too, no doubt. But if I were coaching in the Southland, there probably isn’t a squad I’d like to see less than the one led by Taylor Ross, Adrienne Lewis, Stevi Parker, and their gang of Ladyjacks.
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