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Texas Tech Women
Gerlich revamps roster, eyes glory days
By LANCE LAHNERT
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Krista Gerlich is a “West Texas girl” through and through.
Having played basketball and starred at Sudan (her team won a state championship in 1987) and Spearman, then signing her name to arguably the greatest moment in Texas Tech women’s team sports by starting on the 1993 national championship team, having been the West Texas A&M women’s head basketball coach, Gerlich’s resume oozes West Texas pride.
That background is part of the reason why her opening year at the helm of the Lady Raider women’s basketball program in 2020-21 was far from what she expected.
Of course, she wanted more wins than the 10-15 overall record and 5-13 Big 12 record.
Gerlich also wanted to see the United Supermarkets Arena rockin’ with excitement, like the atmosphere her college playing experience was like.
“My first year was nothing like I thought it would be because it’s right in the middle of the pandemic,” she said. “Who thought that? So we are almost treating this as our first year because I’m so excited about fans being able to be in the arena.
“I’ve had dreams of filling that place up. We couldn’t do that last year for obvious reasons. Now, I’m like, let’s the put challenge out there. We want to put a team on the floor that people want to come out and support. That they can get behind and behind them in the community as well.”
What Gerlich did to start the Lady Raider revival was revamp her roster, keeping three players from last year’s team and hitting the transfer portal heavily.
But with a definite plan in mind.
“We definitely went after kids that fit our style of play and fit our philosophy and recruiting philosophy we were wanting to build,” said Gerlich, who coached at WT from 2006 to 2013 and had her No. 21 Tech jersey retired and lifted to the rafters.
Texas Tech Lady Raiders Roster Name, Ht., Pos., Class, Hometown
Bre’Amber Scott, 5-11, G, Jr., Little Rock, Arkansas Ella Tofaeono, 6-5, P, Jr., Sydney, Australia Lexy Hightower, 5-8, G, Sr., Amarillo, Texas Rhyle McKinney, 5-9, G, Fr., Argyle, Texas Bryn Gerlich, 6-0, F, Jr., Colleyville, Texas Saga Ukkonen, 5-9, G, Fr., Helsinki, Finland Vivian Gray, 6-1, G, Sr., Argyle, Texas Lana Wenger, 6-4, F, Fr., Hersberg, Switzerland Khadija Faye, 6-4, P, Fr., Dakar Senegal Taylah Thomas, 6-1, F, Sr., Arlington, Texas Tatum Veitenheimer, 5-8, G, Jr., Windthorst, Texas Chantae Embry, 6-1, F, Fr., Norman, Oklahoma
Coach: Krista Gerlich Assoc. Head Coach: JC Carter Asst. Coaches: Ashley Crawford, Eric Ely Chief of Staff: Jared Boyd Director of Operations: Jordan Vessels 2020-2021 record: 10-15, 5-13
Vivian Gray of Texas Tech attracts defenders in the Lady Raiders’ 99-98 win over Kansas Feb. 20 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock. Gray is on the 2022 Cheryl Miller Award watch list by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. (Texas Tech Athletics Photo by Elise Bressler)
“We definitely have a prototype player, or kids that I prefer in our system.
“We have to have some big post players and some really skilled guards. I’d like to be athletic on the perimeter and long,” she said. “But fundamentals top everything in my opinion. We definitely were able to piece things together, and I’m happy the way we put this team together.”
The trio returning for Tech are 6-1 senior guard Vivian Gray, 6-0 junior guard Bryn Gerlich and 6-4 freshman center Khadija Faye.
Gray, who played at Argyle High, had a monster season last year, starting all 25 games, averaging a team-high 35.7 minutes and leading the way in scoring (19.8 per game) and rebounding (8.2 per game).
Gerlich, Krista’s daughter, started 11 games, averaging five points and dishing out a team-high 87 assists.
Faye, from Dakar, Senegal, started 19 games and averaged 4.9 rebounds and 5.6 points. She was second in blocks with 20.
Coach Gerlich said her returning trio have been vital off the court as well in a leadership role with the massive turnover of players.
“Those three we have talked to a lot this spring and summer of just setting the tone,” Coach Gerlich said. “Whenever you are wanting to build a culture, you are setting some standards. As people join you, it’s just the standard. You don’t have a, ‘Oh, what do we do in this situation?’ They already know because of the leadership we have in place. And that’s exactly how it’s happened.
“Three players joined us in June, jumped right in and were following suit. We had four more join us in July and we haven’t
(Continued from previous page) skipped a beat. So that’s really good to see this is our standard and this is what we are expecting. Those three kids have done a great job, and their leadership has been key.”
Coach Gerlich sees a culture rebuild as critical for the success of Tech’s future. She is no stranger to this type of rebuild, having done the same when she took over coaching at the University of Texas at Arlington, where it was her first priority.
“It was a lot harder at UTA because we didn’t have a transfer portal,” Gerlich said. “We had to bring in junior college kids, then freshman classes. We tried to work through those freshman classes and grow with them. Even though we have a good freshman class and are signing a good freshman class, we aren’t going to have to wait on them. We were able to get some upper classmen in with what we are trying to do.”
Out of the portal arrived one very familiar face to Amarillo-area girls and women’s basketball fans along with a trio of players with recent NCAA tournament experience.
Five players joining the small roster of 12 out of the portal are: • 6-5 junior center Ella Tofseono from Texas A&M. • 6-1 senior forward Taylah Thomas from Arkansas. • 5-8 junior guard Tatum Veitenheimer from Windthorst High and Oklahoma. • 5-11 junior guard Bre’amber Scott from Little Rock and Mississippi State. • 5-8 senior guard Lexy Hightower from Amarillo High and West Texas A&M.
“Those five are highly experienced transfers,” Gerlich said. “They played key parts and key roles for the schools they are coming from. And Taylah, Bre’amber and Ella all three came from teams that went deep into the NCAA Tournament.”
Of course, Hightower starred at AHS, starting all four years, then produced a career at WT ranking her as one of the best all-time as a three-time All-American and sixth all-time leading
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Texas Tech’s Bryn Gerlich, left, moves past Celeste Taylor of Texas in the Lady Raiders’ 74-66 win Jan. 17 over the Longhorns at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock. (Texas Tech Athletics Photo by Elise Bressler
TEXAS TECH LADY RAIDERS SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time
Nov. 11 Southeastern Louisiana Nov. 16 Weber State Nov. 19 Lamar Nov. 22 Texas State 7 p.m.
Van Chancellor Classic
Nov. 26 Ball State @ Merrell Center, Katy 4 p.m. Nov. 27 Old Dominion @ Merrell Center, Katy 1:30 p.m. Nov. 28 New Mexico @ Merrell Center, Katy 4 p.m.
Big 12-SEC Challenge
Dec. 2 Georgia 11 a.m. Dec. 12 UNLV @ First United Bank Center, Canyon 2 p.m.
West Palm Invitational
Dec. 20 Ole Miss @ Palm Beach State College, 12:15 p.m. Lake Worth, FL Dec. 21 LSU @ Palm Beach State College, Lake Worth, 2:30 p.m. FL Dec. 29 Incarnate Word 7 p.m. Jan. 2 Oklahoma TBA Jan. 5 Texas @ Austin 7 p.m. Jan. 8 Oklahoma State TBA Jan. 12 West Virginia @ Morgantown, WV TBA 6 p.m. Jan. 15 Kansas State TBA Jan. 19 TCU @ Fort Worth 6:30 p.m. Jan. 22 Kansas @ Lawrence, KS 4 p.m. Jan. 26 Baylor TBA Jan. 29 Iowa State TBA Feb. 5 Kansas State @ Manhattan, KS 6:30 p.m. Feb. 9 Texas TBA Feb. 12 Oklahoma State @ Stillwater, OK 7 p.m. Feb. 16 Oklahoma @ Norman, OK 6 p.m. Feb. 19 Kansas TBA Feb. 23 West Virginia TBA Feb. 26 Iowa State 1 p.m. Mar. 2 TCU TBA Mar. 5 Baylor @ Waco TBA Mar. 10-13 Big 12 Tournament @ Kansas City, MO TBA
(Continued from previous page) scorer with 1,642 points.“Lexy is doing great making the transition, and I’m not surprised at all,” Coach Gerlich said. “She just works so hard, and that’s what you expect from a West Texas kid anyway, right? And especially with the last name Hightower.
“I wouldn’t even say whatever she is lacking she makes up with her effort, because she isn’t lacking. She’s really skilled with a really high IQ. She plays with a great energy and just has bounce to her. She is super hungry to prove herself at this level. I’m proud of her.
“Lexy and Tatum have experience at the point guard, Ella has some inside presence we were desperate for, and then Bre’amber brings us some athleticism on the perimeter and great defense. That experience they have is tremendous.”
Gerlich talked on several other topics concerning her team:
On the 3-point line moving back to the men’s distance
“So that will take a toll on all shooters. But Lexy is still shooting it well.”
On the transfer portal
“It’s here to stay. It changes the college game a lot. You could be rebuilding every year. That’s why relationships will be so important. So a player won’t be flippant and after a bad day and say, ‘I’m out of here.’”
Roster of 12, where many teams carry 15
“We have a small roster at 12. I’m doing that on purpose. I think team chemistry is huge, and with the culture we want to build, I wanted to try and really establish it. It’s easier to do with less kids. And we needed to save a couple of those scholarships for the next signing class. I think all 12 will get an opportunity.”
The impact the unreal $35 million Womble Center practice facility has on her program
“The Womble Center is incredible for us,” Gerlich said. “Number one, recruiting-wise if we can get them on campus, we have the wow factor, no doubt. But even for our own kids, the girls have a gym any time they want. They don’t have to wait for the guys to get off. They don’t have to share a basket.
“They have access to our gym 24-7. It’s been awesome. The girls are up here all the time. They can lift. They can tend to their training matters. They can hang out in the locker room. They can watch film with us, or they can get shots up. Just for their individual game, it has been incredible. It’s given them a place that feels like home. They love being in The Womble.”
No doubt, Gerlich is thankful for her job at Texas Tech, and no doubt, she wants to bring the program back to those glory days when she played.
“Absolutely, I love being here,” said Gerlich, who has her team scheduled to play at the First United Bank Center at WT in Canyon on Dec. 12 against UNLV. “Every day I pinch myself and go ‘Wow, I can’t believe I’m actually here.’
“I can’t believe the office I sit in, the facility that I work in. Even then, what I’ve enjoyed the most is the people that are excited about Lady Raider basketball again. And that support. That’s what I’ve missed so much is women’s basketball being important. It’s important in Lubbock, Texas. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to build this place back up.”
Krista Gerlich Basketball Camps See 4th page, color section
