JONESBORO -- There were times last season when Arkansas State Coach Destinee Rogers pleaded with Lauryn Pendleton to speak up.
The then-first-year player did plenty of talking – Pendleton was recognized as Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year, making the Little Rock Central alumna the first Red Wolf to earn the honor in more than two decades after averaging 11.3 points and 4.6 rebounds while starting 25 of 28 games.
But Rogers wanted her point guard to be even more of a vocal presence.
That's no longer an issue as Pendleton begins Year 2 at ASU.
"This whole process is about maturity for me," Pendleton told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "I'm kind of having to grow up fast. ... We learned so much last season, and with having such a good team, I just kind of took it upon myself to be more vocal."
The Red Wolves' 2021-22 season was a bit of trial by fire for all parties.
Former head coach Matt Daniel resigned on Dec. 13, the night before ASU's game against Mississippi Valley State. Rogers stepped in as the Red Wolves' interim leader, helping the program to wins in six of its next seven games.
Leading scorer Keya Patton then suffered a season-ending injury in January, leaving Rogers with a seven-player rotation that saw three freshmen -- Pendleton, Jade Upshaw and Mailyn Wilkerson -- regularly feature as starters.
That precipitated a 2-9 run to end the season, but it didn't prevent Rogers being named to her post permanently in March.
In the months since, Rogers has reshaped ASU's roster. Although the Red Wolves' core returns -- Patton, the three now-sophomores and fellow second-year Kiayra Ellis, who played in all 28 games last season -- ASU will be integrating seven newcomers, four of whom are Division I transfers.
The most notable among that group is Batesville native Izzy Higginbottom. The sophomore guard was a top-100 prospect in the Class of 2021 -- she scored a state-record 57 points in the Class 5A quarterfinals as a senior -- and shot nearly 37% as a freshman at Missouri.
Higginbottom pointed to Rogers' presence as a reason why she opted to return to northeast Arkansas but said the intensity of a burgeoning squad with 10 of 14 players in their first or second season of eligibility is what has her most excited.
"I love coming to practice, I love being around this team," Higginbottom said. "After freshman year, I really learned that putting pressure on yourself kind of takes the fun and joy out of the game. ... My goal is to just have fun with the game of basketball and love what I do."
Rogers, now with both hands on the wheel, has her own goals as well, with the Red Wolves a little more than a month out from their Nov. 10 season opener at Louisiana Tech.
"I'm used to winning, and that's what I want to be a part of," Rogers said. "We're really athletic, we're really fast, our guards can really score it. ... You're going to see a very talented group that loves the game."