Wayland Women
Mix of old, new but same Queens goal By KEVIN LEWIS A host of new faces surrounds the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens, but the same positive results should be expected for 2021-22. Jason Cooper – a proven high school coach at places like Olton, Sudan, Amarillo Tascosa and Claude – takes over as head coach of the Flying Queens, stepping in for Alesha Ellis after she went to Angelo State following a highly successful eight-year stint at WBU. An all-conference player for the Wayland Pioneers in the late 1990s, Cooper already had ties to the Flying Queens, having served as an assistant coach under sister-in-law Johnna Pointer right after his playing days. Cooper again was close to the program because daughter Jenna has been a standout Flying Queen the past two seasons. “The Queens were very close to a national Coach Jason Cooper championship the last two seasons. I’m ready to get in here and get started and continue with what Alesha has done and take that next step to the national championship,” Cooper said when he was announced during the summer as the program’s 14th head coach. Cooper is tasked with continuing the tremendous tradition of the Flying Queens, college basketball’s winningest women’s program, just five wins short of 1,700. “We are excited about ushering in a new era in Flying Queens basketball with a lot of new faces on board, both coaches and players alike, all of whom are ready to continue the program’s long and storied history of success,” Cooper said. The Flying Queens went 13-1 during the abbreviated COVID season. Wayland repeated as Sooner Athletic Conference champion, then went on to claim a third straight SAC Tournament Wayland Baptist Flying Queens Roster Name, Ht., Pos., Class, Hometown Taryn Shultz, 5-8, G, Fr., Bushland, Texas Emily Sigala, 5-2, G, Fr., Plainview, Texas Sable Darnell, 5-5, G, Jr., Amarillo, Texas Katelynn Dodds, 5-8, G, Fr., Yorktown, Texas Maggie Anderson, 5-7, G, Fr., Ropesville, Texas Kaitlyn Edgemon, 5-11, F, Fr., Littlefield, Texas Allison Giles, 6-2, F, Fr., Claude, Texas Jessica Medcalf, 5-9, G, Jr., Franklin, Tennessee Lara Mason, 5-11, F, Soph., Vega, Texas Angel Hayden, 5-7, G, Sr., Canyon, Texas Damilola Ajisafe, 6-0, F, Fr., Barcelona, Spain Fapou Femebene, 6-0, F, Jr., Los Angeles Ashlyn Shelley, 5-7, G, Soph., Idalou, Texas Holli Scoggins, 5-7, F, Fr., Whiteface, Texas Jenna Cooper, 6-0, F, Jr., Claude, Texas Kaylee Edgemon, 5-11, F, Sr., Littlefield, Texas Coach: Jason Cooper Asst. Coaches: Chelsea Hunter, Eric Rodewald 2020-2021 record: 13-1, 8-0 2021-2022 Panhandle-Plains Basketball
Flying Queen Jenna Cooper goes to the basket last season at Wayland Baptist’s Hutcherson Center in Plainview. Cooper’s dad, Jason Cooper, became the Queens’ coach for 2021-22. (Photo by Claudia Lusk/WBU Sports Information)
title. The Flying Queens were ranked No. 2 in the nation before being knocked off in the final of the opening round pod by Mount Vernon Nazarene of Ohio. Four players return off that team, led by a pair of allAmericans in Kaylee Edgemon and Jenna Cooper. Edgemon is a three-time all-America honoree, earning first-team honors last season, when she also was named SAC Player of the Year. The 5-11 forward from Littlefield averaged 18.9 points and 8.1 rebounds a game. Edgemon previously played at Eastern New Mexico. Jenna Cooper, a 6-0 forward from Claude, averaged 16.1 points and 8.4 boards and was named All-SAC First Team. Cooper played at Abilene Christian before transferring to Wayland. Also back is Kaylee’s sister Kaitlyn, a 5-11 forward who was named the SAC Freshman of the Year after averaging 8.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg. The fourth veteran is Ashlyn Shelley, a 5-7 guard from Idalou, “who saw some big minutes and started in some key games a year ago. We will lean hard on these girls to lead the way,” Cooper said. The additions of transfer guards Angel Hayden, a 5-7 senior from Canyon who played at Texas Tech and Angelo State, and Sable Darnell, a 5-5 junior from Amarillo who played at Frank (Continued on next page)
College
81
