Oklahoma State women 'loving the journey' of rebuilding Cowgirls basketball
STILLWATER — Even though Jacie Hoyt is in just her sixth season as a college head coach, she knows what winning basketball teams should look like.
She’s coached 20-win teams. She’s coached conference champions. She’s experienced the process to build both.
And while it will take some serious work for the first edition of Hoyt’s Oklahoma State Cowgirls to reach either of those achievements, what Hoyt has witnessed since taking the job last March is a rare sight in her eyes.
“They click as well as any team I’ve ever coached,” Hoyt said of her 13-5 squad that will take on 15th-ranked Oklahoma (15-2, 5-1 Big 12) at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Lloyd Noble Center. “They have been such a fun group to be around.
“That was in the recruiting process. They all came here for the same reason. They all came here on a mission to lay a great foundation.”
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Hoyt has a total of 13 players who were playing at eight different institutions last year, with four holdovers from the previous Cowgirl roster. The others came from various levels: Power Six conferences, mid-major Division I programs, a Division II school and an overseas academy in England.
Some knew each other before they joined forces in Stillwater, but most didn’t. Yet the chemistry clicked almost immediately.
OSU was picked to finish ninth in the 10-team Big 12 at the beginning of the season, yet has jumped out to a 3-3 start including wins over Texas and Baylor, both of which have spent time in the top 25.
The Cowgirls went from a team with little expectation of competitiveness this season to an NCAA Tournament contender by mid-January.
They’ve done it with consistent defense, balanced offense and a unified focus.
“I think it starts first with the people, having good people around,” said super-senior point guard Naomie Alnatas, who followed Hoyt from Missouri-Kansas City and leads the Cowgirls in scoring and assists and 13.8 and 4.2 per game. “It’s just coming together. We had lots of team times and team bonding together and getting to know each other.”
Hoyt’s early efforts to build chemistry began with the players knowing each other first as people before they knew them as teammates.
“We were digging into each other deeper,” said junior guard Lexy Keys, who has spent her entire career at OSU. “This team is so special. Outside of basketball, we’re so, so close. They’re gonna be the first people I call if I need help with something. We talk all the time. We’re doing random stuff all the time. We’re truly sisters and family. We care more about who they are as a person than even as a player, honestly.”
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It has fostered an environment where any player can step to the front as a leader, because none of them fear repercussions for speaking up.
“(Hoyt) always says the best teams are player-led teams,” Alnatas said. “That’s the truth. Everybody’s smart at this level. Everybody has something to say. Everybody can add something to the table. As players, we appreciate that kind of chemistry.”
After Bedlam, the Cowgirls enter into a stretch with some winnable home games, providing a chance to build momentum for the end-of-season stretch run that will determine their March fate.
Right now, Hoyt likes what she sees.
“I think when you have like-minded people on a like-minded mission, it’s a really fun and special thing to be a part of, because they’re willing to make sacrifices for each other,” Hoyt said.
“We’re just loving the process. We’re loving the journey right now.”
How to watch OU vs. OSU women's basketball
TIPOFF: 6 p.m. Saturday at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman (ESPN+)
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State 'loving the journey' to rebuild OSU Cowgirls basketball
