Baylor Bear Insider
With a roster that includes just three players who have been here for more than a year, new Baylor women's basketball head coach Nicki Collen has incorporated some fun team-bonding outings like a fishing trip, a ropes course and an intense, five-set volleyball match.
"They needed a break from kind of the monotony of the typical schedule," Collen said. "We're doing the ropes course (Friday morning) to finish up and send them off until they come back for the fall semester. But, it's good to build camaraderie, good to build kind of that off-the-court, where we really do care about one another on and off the court."
On Thursday, Collen and the rest of the team came together to support South Waco Elementary, delivering $12,000 of school supplies (purchased by the Tip-Off Club) and putting on a clinic as a fun back-to-school event.
Led by former Baylor All-American Sophia Young-Malcolm, Assistant AD for Player Development, the clinic is part of an adoption program with South Waco Elementary.
"When I got here, it was something that we decided as a staff, to be really intentional," College said. "I know that teams always do community relations, they get service hours and things like that. . . . We felt like this is a place we can impact and not just once or twice, but we can do over the course of a season, over the course of a year, so that we're really connecting with the community."
Separated into three groups, the children rotated to different stations to work on dribbling, passing and shooting drills led by the Baylor players. Every made bucket was met with a high-five and an ear-to-ear grin.
Junior forward Caitlin Bickle said it was fun to be back around the young children, "especially since we didn't get to do it last year with COVID."
"I know my freshman and sophomore year when we did it, it was so much fun getting to interact with them," she said. "And then, seeing all these kids come to our games and things like that, it's so neat."
Collen said she could tell that some of the Baylor players were more comfortable than others in "giving back . . . and stepping outside the practice court and what's familiar."
"Connecting to young kids is a different thing," she said. "Certainly, we have players that grew up babysitting and have been around young kids, and some others that are not nearly as comfortable interacting. You can see that when we do things like this, but it's good for them to step outside their comfort zone."
It was also another chance for the Baylor players to bond and get to know each other. Transfers Jordan Lewis (Alabama) and Ja'Mee Asberry (Oklahoma State) and freshman Kendra Gillispie were added to a roster that includes Bickle, fellow fourth-year juniors NaLyssa Smith and Queen Egbo and returning guards Jaden Owens, Sarah Andrews and Kamara McDaniel.
"Honestly, because I've been here since my freshman year, I've known a lot of girls coming in, and we've had some consistency," Bickle said. "But, it's kind of a refreshing new start. I love it. Getting to know all of them, completely different people, it's amazing."
Returning two starters from a 28-2 team that made it to the Elite Eight, the Lady Bears will open with exhibition games against Texas A&M-Commerce (Oct. 27) and West Texas A&M (Nov. 3) before tipping off the regular season with a home game against Texas State on Nov. 9 at the Ferrell Center.
Go to the Baylor Women's Basketball link for season and single-game ticket information.
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