2024-25 Women's Basketball Season Preview

Erik Holth, CBC Sports Information Director

            Conway, Ark. – With a new coach in tow, Central Baptist College women's basketball tips off the 2024-25 season tomorrow night in Mississippi against Blue Mountain Christian University. Tipoff from Jones Gymnasium is slated for 5 p.m.

            First-year head coach Kory Heffentrager replaces Lyle Middleton, who retired after 20 seasons at the helm. Coach Heff inherits a team that went 7-18 overall and 6-12 in the American Midwest Conference with a first-round conference tournament exit to the top seeded Columbia Cougars. "It's been great so far," said Heffentrager. "I'm not saying coming in as a head coach is ever easy, but it's been made a lot easier by being in a place where I feel so at home and so comfortable. I have a lot of people I can go to for guidance and I get the chance to coach with a former teammate and my best friend (Coach Carrier)."

            Rhys Anderson, an honorable mention all-conference selection and All-Tournament team selection last year headlines the class of seven returning players that includes Lydia York, Marina Crespi, Aliya Grotjohn, Naciye Oksuz, Tamara Christmas and Maele Van Houtert. "We have goals this year that the team has set," added Heffentrager. "We want to be a top five team in the conference and we want to win 15 games this season."

            The first recruiting class for Coach Heff includes three players, true freshmen guards Addison Hudspeth, who played for Heffentrager at Heber Springs, and Riley Whittington from Mayflower as well as Williams Baptist transfer Raigan Head, a Newport alum. "We've been pushing ourselves really, really hard in practice," said Heffentrager. "We're communicating well when we need to. This is a good group of players."

            A talented AMC awaits the Lady Mustangs, who look for their second straight trip to the tournament and their fifth in the last seven years. "Our conference is tough," added Heffentrager. "It always has been. We have perennial nationally ranked teams. What's unique about our conference this year is a lot of new head coaches. That will be interesting to see how everything plays out.

            Following the season-opener, the Mustangs will play Champion Christian in a schedule that includes four Division I opponents, Louisiana-Monroe, Little Rock, Central Arkansas and Louisiana Tech, all games which take place inside the first couple months of the season. "Our non-conference schedule will definitely prepare us for the conference schedule once it gets here," said Heffentrager.

            The Lady Mustangs play at Reddin Fieldhouse 13 times this season. "These girls have been working hard," added Heffentrager. "They're buying into everything that we are doing and are very excited for this season. I think this will be a really fun group to watch."

            Be sure to check cbcmustangs.com all season long for updates on the Lady Mustangs!