Last season, a new era of University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff women's basketball began with the hiring of head coach Dawn Brown.
This season, a new look to the Lady Lions will debut today in a 6 p.m. tipoff at Arkansas State in the season-opener for both teams.
The UAPB Sports Network radio broadcast will begin at 5:45 p.m. on 99.3 FM The Beat with free audio also available at uapblionsroar.com/live, and on the UAPB Athletics App.
Like every other program in sports -- professional or college -- the coronavirus has changed how teams get ready to play, and UAPB is no different.
"One thing that covid-19 has done is created fewer team meetings and more positional meetings," Brown said. "That has hindered us a little bit. It forced us to find ways to be more creative, and practice social distancing as much as we possibly can. That has been the biggest adjustment we've had to make."
The new look for year two is just that -- 12 new players on the 17-person roster has at times given preparations for the season a year one feel.
"This is a great group of young women," Brown said. "It's not only about what they possess on the basketball court, but also who they are as individuals and the families they represent. That's something that you can't teach, and you can't coach. To have the support of their families is what's important to me. Talent is one thing, but having a good group of young women that understand academics is first, and now that we are ready for the season to start, it's something we are really proud to have."
However, new doesn't mean lack of experience. Of the new players to the program, eight bring previous collegiate playing experience, highlighted by two-time first team All-SWAC selection Joyce Kennerson. The Texas Southern transfer was fourth in the nation in scoring at 24.2 points per game when she last played two seasons ago and was named SWAC Player of the Year in 2018.
"Coaching earlier in my career, I've seen her be that player of the year, I've seen that leading scorer for her team, and her being able to stand out amongst a group," Brown said. "With Joyce, she has taken on a new role of being the best teammate she can be. For her to have an opportunity to be a leader, but also be led by others and fall in line with what's being asked of her, that's what makes Joyce a little different. She actually doesn't want to be in the spotlight. She wants to get her other teammates involved."
Friday's matchup against the Lady Red Wolves is the first of two meetings against Arkansas State as part of a seven-game nonconference schedule for UAPB.
To open December, the Lady Lions will play back-to-back home games against Central Arkansas (Tuesday and the return trip against A-State (Dec. 10). From there, Arkansas at Pine Bluff will play at Louisiana Tech (Dec. 14), Central Arkansas (Dec. 18), Arkansas (Dec. 21), and Oklahoma (Dec. 29) before opening conference play Jan. 2 at home against Mississippi Valley State.
"We have a really good schedule," Brown said. "Having the opportunity to play in state as much as we are [five times] is really beneficial for us. We have two home games in our gym, and most HBCUs don't have that opportunity all the time. Our schedule is one of the best I've had, and it gives us the opportunity to get ready for conference play."
Arkansas State went 11-19 last season under first-year head coach Matt Daniel, including an 81-60 win over UAPB last December.
"We are going to have to be able to hit shots," Brown said. "We want to able to push the ball and score in transition. However, as always what we preach every day, is we have to be able to defend. I'm confident we'll able to hit shots, but the biggest thing we'll need to do is sit down and defend."