The new year didn't start right for Joyce Kennerson, but a new season can for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff point guard.
A torn ACL in her right knee ended Kennerson's season Jan. 2, when the Lady Lions knocked off Mississippi Valley State University. But a quick rehabilitation has allowed the graduate student, nearly four years removed from being the nation's leading scorer, to come back for her extra season, which the NCAA granted last year to players as a result of covid-19.
"Nobody ever expects to get hurt, especially the first conference game," Kennerson said. "So it really helped me mentally to prepare for the next play."
Kennerson, who averaged 14 points, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals, did not get to see another play that season.
The Lady Lions struggled to a 3-18 record (2-13 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference) in a season heavily affected by the pandemic and the loss of their second-leading scorer. They did, however, rely on the eventual SWAC Newcomer of the Year in 6-foot-3 senior Khadijah Brown (15.2 points, 8.8 rebounds last season) for offense.
"The trials and tribulations of last year taught me, as a team, make sure you have perseverance and even though things are tough, you still can push through and strive to be your greatest," Brown said.
SEASON TIPOFF
Brown and Kennerson will lead the Lady Lions onto the H.O. Clemmons Arena court Tuesday for their season opener against McNeese State University.
"One thing we wanted to do was open up the season with some excitement from our fans and our community," said third-season Lady Lions Coach Dawn Thornton, the former Dawn Brown who was married during the offseason. "McNeese has a new head coach (Lynn Kennedy). I thought that would give us a good assessment of where we are this season, to start off with the hard work over the summer and in the preseason."
The Cowgirls (6-16, 6-8 in Southland last season) are predicted to finish sixth out of eight teams in their conference and return junior forward Divine Tanks (10.3 points, 7.5 rebounds per game last season).
It will be UAPB's preparation for a high-noon showdown with the University of Arkansas on Friday in Fayetteville.
"Playing Arkansas early, I thought, is something that should be beneficial to us," Thornton said. "Coach [Mike] Neighbors is a phenomenal coach, but a lot of teams are still searching for their identities, trying to put pieces together to see what pieces work well. I think for us, that matchup was going to be important because we have so many mid-major transfers coming in, so we want to put them in the fire early so we can work out the kinks later."
BACK IN THE FOLD
The 5-foot-3 Kennerson, from Port Arthur, Texas, led all of NCAA Division I in scoring during the middle of the 2017-18 season while playing at Texas Southern University. She scored 33 points against Paul Quinn College to raise her scoring average to 26.6 per game and finished the season fourth at 24.2.
That added to a stellar resume, which included two SWAC regular-season championships, the 2017 SWAC tournament title and the 2018 conference Player of the Year award.
She took off the next two seasons, having given birth to a son in February 2019, and committed to UAPB in June 2020.
"What I did at Texas Southern is the old Joyce," Kennerson said. "This is a new Joyce, and I want to show everyone I'm coming back 10 times better than how I was at Texas Southern."
Wait, how could today's Kennerson top the one of old?
"With the help of my teammates," she said. "There's no 'I' in 'team.' I can't do this without them. I'm depending on my teammates to carry me."
OFFSEASON
Thornton brought in eight newcomers, including former Talladega (Ala.) College standout guard Tyeisha Juhan, Jacksonville University transfers Shekina Rachel and Kassidy Ingram, former University of Tennessee at Martin guard Sade Hudson, and Southeastern (Fla.) University transfer Bryana Langford.
Nine players have returned to the Lady Lions, including junior guard Kaila Walker (11.3 points per game, 77.1% free-throw shooter last season) and sophomore center Maya Peat (5.9 points, 4 rebounds per game), the sister of New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Andrus Peat.
"I definitely think we cleared up all the scoring deficit issues we had last year," Thornton said, adding that this past summer was the first in which she had the entire team work out together. "We were able to get some speed. We were able to get some rebounding guards. We can defend a little bit better. We're long, athletic, and we're going to look to run and try to have some fun this year."
The Lady Lions have played in two scrimmages, including one against the University of Arkansas at Monticello, without three starters. Thornton wasn't ready to indicate everyone who'll get the starting nod against McNeese State, but she said two of the starters are back in action.
"It should be interesting," Thornton said. "We're still trying to figure out which group meshes well with the next."
Thornton specified that Brown and Walker will be among the starters, while citing Kennerson's progress.
"Joyce is coming back full-speed, and so we just want to see who's going to be ready to show up," the coach said.
DOLPHIN CONNECTION
In addition to Rachel, Ingram and Khadijah Brown -- who transferred to UAPB last season -- former Jacksonville University assistant Thornton also brought in Briona Brown, the fifth-leading scorer in the Dolphins' history, to serve on the Lady Lions' staff.
Briona Brown scored 1,215 points from 2012-16 and led JU to the ASUN (formerly Atlantic Sun) Conference championship as a senior.
"She's a hard-working young star in the business, and I want to be able to bring her in here so she can shine some," Thornton said.
Briona Brown said the chemistry and culture Thornton is building drew her to UAPB.
"I think that alone speaks numbers for herself and the program and the culture we're trying to have at UAPB," Brown said. "What you put in is what you'll get out. We instill that in them every moment we step into the gym. I make sure what I'm doing as a coach exemplifies what I want them to do as a player."
McNeese State at UAPB women's basketball
• What: Season opener for both teams
• When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday
• Where: H.O. Clemmons Arena, UAPB campus
• Video: UAPBLionsRoar.com/watch
• Audio: KPBA-FM 99.3 "The Beat"
• Next 4 UAPB games: at Arkansas, noon Friday; at UA-Little Rock, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 16; at Southern Miss, 3 p.m. Nov. 26; vs. Southeast Missouri State, at Hattiesburg, Miss., 3 p.m. Nov. 27
