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. Coach Jason Cooper “The Queens were very close to a national 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

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 from previous page) Phillips College, will bring some much-needed collegiate experience to the mix.

Other college transfers are Lara Mason, a 5-11 sophomore from Vega who played at Lubbock Christian, and Fapou Semebene, a 6-0 junior from Los Angeles who transferred from St. John’s.

“I am very excited about our crop of freshmen, who have shown great energy and enthusiasm during our early workouts,” Cooper said. “We will need a couple of these ladies to step up and play some important minutes.”

As for what to expect from the 2021-22 Flying Queens, Cooper said it will be fast-paced.

“We will look to bring an exciting, up-tempo offense and a high-pressure defense to the floor as we compete against some of best small college competition in the country in the SAC,” he said. “As the two-time defending champions of the SAC, our expectations are incredibly high as we embark on this journey. I have no doubt that these young women are up to the challenge.”

Angel becomes a Queen

Angel Hayden is a well-known name in the region – and across the state.

Hayden and her teammates won state championships all four of her years playing for Joe Lombard’s Canyon Lady Eagles, and she was all-state all four years. She was on the Texas Tech women’s team out of high school, then transferred to Angelo State.

A connection with new Wayland women’s coach Jason Cooper resulted in the 5-7 point guard becoming a Flying Queen for her senior season.

Cooper said Hayden had planned to leave Angelo State, and when COVID-19 hit, she decided to sit out the entire 2020-21 season. Thinking her basketball career was over, she was taking classes at West Texas A&M, working on a bachelor of applied science degree, when Cooper called.

“I’ve known Angel since she was a little girl,” Cooper said. “I coached against her in high school and coached against her

Kaylee Edgemon

Ashlyn Shelley Jenna Cooper

Angel Hayden Kaitlyn Edgemon

Lara Mason

in summer league stuff and basically watched her throughout her career. When I got the job at Wayland, she was one of the ones on my list who wasn’t playing anywhere who I wanted to contact. The more I talked to her, the more excited she got and the more excited I got. She was the first kid I signed at Wayland.

“It worked out well for us and her. I think she will be a huge part of our team. She’s a very talented player, but she’s also been a great leader and role model for our younger girls. I think she will have a huge impact and be very successful within the Sooner Athletic Conference and beyond.”