Bobcats open with first official practice

On Friday afternoon, Texas State rolled the balls back out.

The Bobcats held their first practice of the 2018-19 season. The team is coming off a strong 23-10 year in which it fell one-point short of the Sun Belt Conference title  before making an appearance in the Women’s National Invitation tournament.

But Texas State has added more than a few new faces. The Bobcats’ recruiting class includes four freshmen in guard Ja’Kayla Bowie, forward Da’Nasia Hood, center Jaeda Reed and guard Kennedy Taylor, and one junior college transfer in junior Jazza Johns, who won the NJCAA Division I Region XI Player of the Year award as a member of Iowa Western last year.

The team does have several returners, too. Senior guard Toshua Leavitt and junior guard Brooke Holle will be expected to lead the team as the two remaining starters from last year’s squad. Head coach Zenarae Antoine will also expect sophomore guard Avionne Alexander, senior guard Dabrasia Baty, sophomore forward Jayla Johnson and junior guard Bailey Holle to take a leap forward this season.

Redshirt senior forward Zandra Emanuel will also have one last year of eligibility after playing in just nine games last season before being sidelined with a knee injury on Jan. 11 against Arkansas State.

The Bobcats will first tip off on Nov. 9 when the team heads to Albuquerque, New Mexico to play New Mexico in the 2018 Preseason Women’s NIT.