Women's Basketball 11/4/2025 9:06:00 AM

Blinn ready for new season with talented, revamped roster

The Buccaneers begin their season at home against No. 14 McLennan on Wednesday

Women's Basketball 11/4/2025 9:06:00 AM

Blinn ready for new season with talented, revamped roster

The Buccaneers begin their season at home against No. 14 McLennan on Wednesday

Jeff Jenkins is aware how much the Blinn College women's basketball team lost after the 2024-25 season.

He also knows just how much the Buccaneers have to gain.

"We've lost 82% of our rebounding and 82% of our scoring from last season, but we also have plenty of returning players and freshmen ready to fill those gaps," said Jenkins, who is entering his 24th season with Blinn. "We're going to lean on role players from last year to take the next step this season and lead a young team, and we hope to see 10 freshmen take a big step forward as we look to meet our potential by year's end."

The Bucs will get a first glance at their reshaped squad when they host No. 14 McLennan Community College for their regular-season opener at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.

A sophomore class that helped the Bucs win 48 games and earn a trip to the NJCAA Division I national tournament between 2023-2025 left Jenkins with nine spots to fill ahead of this season.

Sophomore guards Jasey Campbell, Taylor Spencer, and Jaya Gradney, and sophomore forward Cynthia LeCompte have returned. Each saw action in at least 29 games in 2024-25, with Campbell leading the way offensively at 5.1 points per game. LeCompte brings 3.5 rebounds per contest back from last season.

Jenkins added transfer guard Mariah Houston to the mix after the sophomore averaged 13 points across 27 games for Ranger College last season.

"We have five players who saw a lot of action as freshmen and played some valuable minutes," Jenkins said. "That type of experience will come in handy as we try to get our freshmen up to speed with the demands of college life and the college game."

Freshman guards Mia Colston, Raquel "Rocky" Hawk, Shy'La Blackwell, Chloe Williams, and Mariah Davis, as well as first-year forwards Trina Franklin, Phoenix Sneed, Sami'ya Mahr, Kamaria "Juice" Ford, and Amyah Weathersby make up the rest of the Blinn roster.

In recent seasons, defense has been Blinn's bread and butter, as the team held opponents to 57.1 points per game in 2023-24 and 49.9 last season. However, the Bucs believe their offense could take the lead in how the team puts tallies in the win column this year.

"We have shooters," LeCompte said. "Last year, our offense was produced through our defensive pressure, but I think our offense is set up to carry the load this year. We're still learning on the defensive end of the floor, and I think once that catches up, we can be a very good basketball team."

Jenkins emphasizes rebounding, both to limit opponents' scoring opportunities and to generate offensive chances.

The loss of sophomore Tocarra Johnson, who graduated in the spring after averaging 9.4 points and nine rebounds in two Blinn seasons, means Jenkins will look to new players to clean up the glass. The Bucs have two promising options in Weathersby and Ford, who check in at 6-feet and 5-foot-10, respectively.

"Those two rebound exceptionally well, and we have some other players who can do the job," Jenkins said.

Blinn will be tested early and often this season, starting with McLennan. The Bucs and Highlassies also will face off Dec. 11 in Waco, Texas, and Blinn's schedule also features home-and-away matchups against ranked Region 14 foes Kilgore College (No. 8) and Trinity Valley Community College (No. 16).

The Bucs will play 15 non-region contests before opening their region slate against Kilgore on Jan. 10 in Kilgore, Texas.

"Our region never gets easier," Jenkins said. "There are tough teams up and down our schedule, and you have to play good basketball to win in this league. I think we have enough to be in contention for a region championship at the end of the season, but it's going to be on us as coaches and the players to put it all together."

Fans can catch all home games live at the Kruse Center, or on www.buccaneersports.com by clicking on the "Live Streams" button under the "Inside Athletics" tab.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 53 national championships since 1987.

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