While a lot can and will change every offseason, Trinity indeed should be among the stronger teams in the region next year.

TEAM	POINTS SCORED BY NON-SR/GR %
TX Lutheran	87.79%
Trinity (Texas)	87.30%
Colorado Col	81.92%
Cal Lutheran	81.31%
Puget Sound	81.05%
UC Santa Cruz	71.31%
Whittier	69.09%
UT Dallas	62.12%
Whitman	60.79%
Occidental	60.33%
Mary Hardin-Baylor	55.04%
Willamette	45.45%
La Verne	42.13%
Hardin-Simmons	38.68%
Pacific	32.93%

Great stat, scottie.  I imagine TLU and TU are among the top nationally as well.

Thanks!

With TLU and Trinity bringing back significant amounts of talent, along with bringing in a McMurry program on the rise, the SCAC has a real chance to be a two-bid league for the first time in a few years next season. I think McMurry coming in will elevate the league on the women's side a good amount. And Colorado College is always a factor.

Good news for Trinity fans - Natalie Anderson is part of a "D3 All-Star" team touring Brazil and yesterday played for the first time since her injury last year.  I only caught a few minutes of the game but saw her score the squad's last basket in a win.  The game (commentary in Portuguese, I think) is available at https://www.youtube.com/live/yB68C1QKO_g - she is wearing #10.

Thanks to Bob Quillman and Riley Zayas for their Xitter posts!

Trinity has finally posted their 2024 schedule, though not yet their roster, which apparently numbers 15 per a post in the school's annual 1869 Challenge fundraiser.  They open with UMHB at home on November 9th, then take a long weekend to Cali where they'll play at Whittier, Redlands, and CMS before Thanksgiving.  In December they'll return with a game at UMHB, then after starting SCAC play they'll host Dallas Christian, break for Christmaas, then host Illinois Wesleyan and ETBU before the New Year.  SCAC play begins in earnest at that point broken only by a midweek visit from HSU in early January.

SCAC home: Schreiner, McMurry, Concordia, Ozarks, Centenary, TLU, Southwestern
SCAC away: Schreiner, Dallas, Austin, McMurry, Concordia, TLU, Southwestern, St Thomas, Colorado College.

Trinity has posted their roster on IG (not yet on their website).  Unfortunately, Jamie Ruede, who had a breakthrough season as a first-year, is not on the roster (and a quick search doesn't show her playing elsewhere, but many rosters still have not been updated). Everyone else is back except Maggie Robbins who graduated last season.

The new players are all first-years, no transfers:
Jivana Caceres - 5'4" PG, Buda (TX) Hays HS
Anika Hatlevig - 5'8" SG, New Prague (MN) HS
Livy Sauvageau - 5'6" PG/SG, Second Baptist (Houston, TX) HS
Ivie Mehary - 6'2" C, Parish Episcopal (Dallas, TX)

Further research indicates that Ruede has either transferred or is in the process of transferring to Texas A&M, where her mother (and high school coach at Boerne) got her degree. 

Trinity posted their schedule on IG today (and it's also on their website).  Non-conference games:

UMHB (21-7)
@Whitter (14-11)
@Redlands (13-12)
@CMS (4-21)
@UMHB (21-7)
Dallas Christian (5-14)
Illinois Wesleyan (23-6)
ETBU (14-13)
HSU (26-4)

The final SCAC schedule, similar to the men's, is the unbalanced mess caused by this year's divisional format:
Home: Schreiner, McMurry, Concordia, Ozarks, Centenary, TLU, Southwestern
Away: Schreiner, Dallas, Austin, McMurry, Concordia, TLU, Southwestern, St Thomas, Colorado

Trinity posted a revised roster on an IG story this weekend, and two more new players (in addition to those noted earlier) join the squad:

Kate Pulley - 5'10" F, Oregon Episcopal HS
Sienna Hernandez - 5'10"F, El Paso (TX) Eastwood

All other players with eligibility from last year's squad (except Jamie Ruede as noted above) return.

Trinity has been selected to win the SCAC title again in its final season according to the 2024-25 SCAC Preseason Poll.  The SA Tigers received nine of the 12 available first place votes and 119 total points.  Colorado College was second with two first place votes and 111 points, TLU was third with 101 and the other first-place vote.  McMurry (78), Austin (77), and Schreiner (71) close out the top half of the vote. 

I can't figure out the points.  There are 12 teams in the conference, so a first-place vote should be worth 12 points.  But if Trinity got 9*12 = 108 points that would mean the other three votes were very low (totalling 11, e.g. two people voted them eighth (10 pts) and one last (1)). 

Coaches did not rank their own teams, so Trinity's 119 points are 9*11 (99) and 20 from the other two voters (two seconds).

Also, Trinity officially posted their roster on their website today.

The announcers are saying the Trinity's impressive center, Natalie Anderson, scheduled to return from a season ending injury last year has broken her foot and will not play tonight against Mary Hardin Baylor.  NFI on the severity or duration of her absence.

Really unfortunate.

I was at the game (first half, anyway) and was told by a close follower of the program that it was a stress fracture (right foot).  The normal time to heal is 6-8 weeks but if it's the same injury as last season that may not be enough.  It may be conference play before we (hopefully) see her on the court again.

As to the game, a 58-45 loss to UMHB, Trinity started slowly but picked up both the defensive effort and the pace as the first half went on, leading to a 33-27 lead at the break.  Kylie Minter did most of the damage with 13 by half, most coming from the free throw line as she was repeatedly fouled driving to the basket.  I don't know what changed in the second half, but from the box it would appear that UMHB turned the tables at the free throw line (earning 14 FTs in the second half after only three in the first, while Trinity only had two compared to 18 in the first) and the Tigers shot a woeful 4-30 (2-24 from deep) after intermission. 

The Trinity women had a successful trip to California this weekend, going 3-0 thanks to a couple of fourth-quarter comebacks.  Thursday night, they trailed most of the game against Whittier (4-1) but a 24-12 final stanza pushed them past the Poets 79-73 as the final margin was also the Tigers' largest lead of the game.  Kylie Minter and Bailey Timmons led the way with 16 each as Trinity forced 17 steals to just 8 by their opponents. 

Saturday, it was on to Redlands (2-4) where the after a tight opening quarter the Tigers again trailed until taking the lead for good midway through the fourth, and the final 58-52 margin was again their largest of the game.   Minter again led the way; her 27 (9-14/2-5 3FG) was the only double-digit effort from the visitors.  Kylie also had 6 of the team's 16 steals.

The final game of the trip Sunday afternoon at CMS (2-3) represented the team's best effort of the young season.  The team led all but a few minutes of the opening stanza in the 82-61 win which saw Josie Napoli (25 points, 10-15, 4-5 3FG, 5 steals) find her shot for the first time on the trip, with Minter addding 17.  Elaine King had her own personal block party with 8 blocks (second all-time at Trinity) to go with 7 boards (4 offensive). 

Trinity is now off until the first week of December, when they'll return the visit to UMHB and attempt to get revenge for their season-opening loss in San Antonio. 

And in a pleasant surprise, Kylie today was the first Trinity woman named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week since Nat Anderson in the week before her injury last season

Quote from: Ron Boerger on November 26, 2024, 03:55:43 PMAnd in a pleasant surprise, Kylie today was the first Trinity woman named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week since Nat Anderson in the week before her injury last season

Let's hope we're not bad luck.