Bradley leads women’s basketball into Mitchell’s third season
As the North Texas women’s basketball team enters the third year of the Jalie Mitchell era, the Mean Green are looking to take another step toward competing for a Conference USA Championship this season.
That journey starts with the return of junior Terriell Bradley, who was named to the first-team preseason all-conference team. Bradley averaged a team-high 12.8 points per game last year and will be looked to as a leader on and off the court this season.
“She’s a playmaker,” head coach Jalie Mitchell said. “Whenever she speaks, she knows what she’s talking about. For the team to play up to our expectations, she will be huge for us. She has to show up every day.”
Micayla Buckner and Grace Goodhart are back as well for the Mean Green and will be relied upon in a much larger way as starters this year. Buckner appeared in 30 games last season and averaged 4.5 points and three rebounds while Goodhart saw action in 22, averaging two points per game.
In addition to Buckner and Goodhart, North Texas will have to rely heavily on a group of newcomers this season. With Tyara Warren and Madison Townley out for the year with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, freshmen Lauren Holmes, Trena Mins and Brittany Smith will be thrown into the fire from the get-go.
Holmes has star potential early in her career, as she was the Arkansas Prep Female Athlete of the Year in 2017. She won nine state championships in three different sports, including three in her senior year.
Holmes led the team with 23 points and 10 rebounds in an exhibition win over Texas Woman’s University.
“I hold myself to a high standard, and because of that, I hold others to a high standard as well,” Holmes said. “I’ve won a lot so I don’t like losing at all, and the want to win is what drives me.”
That winning mentality will fit in nicely in Mitchell’s program, as the Mean Green aim to build on their eighth place finish in C-USA last year. The team finished 13th in Mitchell’s first season, showing gradual improvement from year one to year two.
Now, their sights are set on a C-USA championship.
“With the talent we have, I expect us to win the conference championship, and we all have that mindset,” Bradley said. “I’m sure there will be some hiccups down the road, but it won’t take long for this team to come together.”
North Texas will tipoff the regular season Friday night against Mid-America Christian University, looking to open with a win for the first time since the 2014 season.
The Mean Green will then host Texas A&M – International on Tuesday and Kansas State University Nov. 19 before taking part in the San Juan Shootout Nov. 23-25.
Mitchell’s team was picked to finish eighth in the conference again this year but has its sights set far beyond that mark. C-USA play begins Jan. 5 against Rice.
“They don’t understand how our returners have gotten better and improved, and they may not know what our newcomers bring to the table,” Mitchell said. “We see it every day. It’s a great thing. They’re doing exactly what we thought they’d do, and we’re excited about that.”
Featured Image: North Texas sophomore guard Terriell Bradley (23) calls a play at the top of the key against Rice. Colin Mitchell
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