STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Fans got an early scoop of the 2024-25 Tarleton State Women's Basketball team on Wednesday morning when the Texans were highlighted on the WAC Basketball Preview Show on ESPN+.
The Texans are coming off their first postseason conference tournament appearance at the NCAA Division I level. Tarleton State capped off the 2023-24 season with their first conference tournament victory in the Division I Era, defeating in-state rival Abilene Christian at the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas.
Tarleton State brings a deeper and more experienced team to the 2024-25 basketball season.
"Anytime you can walk into your first summer workouts and preseason workouts and you see some familiar faces, I think that makes you feel more comfortable," head coach Bill Brock said. "Not only are we returning some players that know what the expectations are, but we kept our entire coaching staff together. I think that's very valuable to build a program."
Senior guard Jakoriah Long, Tarleton State's leading scorer last season, addressed the team's hunger for more. The Texans return its top five leading scorers from last year and have even more depth this year.
"We come in and compete every day and that's what I love about this team," Long said. "We have returners with chips on their shoulders and continue what we did at the end of last year. We also have freshmen and newcomers who are wanting to compete."
Junior guard Karyn Sanford got to talk about more than just her upcoming season with the Texans. Sanford was asked about helping her home country Norway to a gold medal.
The Norwegian competed at the national stage this past summer, leading Norway to the gold medal in the 2024 FIBA Women's European Championship for Small Countries. She averaged 10.2 points per game and 4.6 rebounds per game to help her country to gold.
"It was a great experience and I took a lot from that," Sanford said. "It was great playing with players I had played with all my life. As far as what I wanted to take from that to Tarleton, I just wanted to be more aggressive and play with more leadership. I want to instill this culture of winning like we did this summer."
Fans will get to see Tarleton State Women's Basketball for the first time in-person on Thursday at the annual Midnight Madness at Wisdom Gym, with doors opening at 11 p.m. The first 1,000 fans into Wisdom Gym will receive special Midnight Madness T-shirts, plus light sticks will be available to help students and fans make Wisdom Gym glow. "America's Got Talent" Season 9 quarterfinalist Loop Rawlins will thrill the fans in Wisdom Gym with a can't-miss performance.
