Lady Coyotes poised for league title chase

Bob McKinley is inspired by the preseason poll involving the Northern Texas Junior College Athletic Conference women's basketball teams.

The poll has Weatherford College picked fourth in the league. And while that would mean a return to the postseason, the Lady Coyotes coach believes they can - and will - prove the prognosticators wrong.

"We've got a really good group. This may be one of the better groups I've ever had," McKinley said. "We've got speed at every position. The quicker you are the better chance you have of doing all the things you want on offense and defense.

"I definitely think we can challenge for a conference title."

That's quite the compliment, considering McKinley has seen a lot of players in more than a half century of coaching. He is entering his 49th year at Weatherford College and has 1,027 career wins, the most of any NJCAA Division I coach in history.

McLennan, which advanced to the NJCAA Tournament, is the preseason favorite, followed by Grayson, Collin and WC as the postseason picks. Temple and Cisco are expected to challenge as well, with Hill, Ranger and Southwestern Christian being dark horses.

The Lady Coyotes return seven players from their 2024-25 roster, a team that finished 20-11 overall and was fourth in the conference. They defeated Temple 78-64 in a one-game playoff for the final postseason berth from the league and lost 76-66 to national power New Mexico Junior College in the opening round of the Region V Tournament.

Among those seven returners are three starters, sophomore 5-foot-5 point guard Anja Djukic (Paracin, Serbia), 5-10 sophomore shooting guard Neso Anisiobi (Houston) and 5-6 sophomore shooting guard Maiya Wesley (Eastland). Anisiobi (13.3 points, 8 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 1.1 assists, all per game) was named all-conference, while Djukic (6.3 points, 6.3 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals) was an honorable mention honoree.

"We've got the best point guard in the conference with Anja. She's one of the best I've coached," McKinley said. "And I think Neso can be as good as anybody in our conference."

Also back are 6-foot sophomore forward Panagiota Kalogirou (Thessaloniki, Greece), 5-4 sophomore shooting guard Ahmaiya Haulcy (Houston) and 5-7 sophomore shooting guard Natalia Arsendiadou (Athens, Greece). Habi Cisse (Lleida, Spain), a 6-foot forward, is back as a redshirt freshman.

The list of newcomers includes, all freshmen:

*Rileigh Hairston, 5-10 shooting guard, League City.

*Malaiya Prosper, 6-0 forward, Queens, New York.

*Ivy Powell, 5-9 shooting guard, Killeen.

*Tiykeah McKenzie, 5-10 shooting guard, Brownsboro.

*Albane Beyaert, 6-2 forward/center, Calais, France.

Lauryn Ebara, 5-10 shooting guard, Paris, France.

"Not any are real big, but all have good size," McKinley said of the newcomers. "And they all bring really good speed. That gives us a really strong bench.

"Their chemistry is awesome. They all care about each other. That's one of the things we look for."

Last season's Lady Coyotes ended the regular season with a pair of clutch wins before defeating Temple in a winner-take-all affair for a spot in the postseason. McKinley believes that momentum will carry over into this season with all the returners the team has back.

"They were there and did that," he said. "They know what the expectations are and they know they can do it."

For a schedule and more information, go to wcathletics.com.