Fifth-year guard Jalyn Brown shoots the ball during practice on Oct. 9 at College Park Center. Brown previously played at Michigan State University.
Last year, UTA women’s basketball had a 12-21 record, won only four of 18 conference games and was eliminated from the conference tournament in the semifinals.
Now, the Lady Mavericks enter head coach Shereka Wright’s seventh season at the helm with an almost completely different roster from last year. Of the team’s top six players in minutes per game in 2025-26, three graduated and three left for larger programs.
“The first thing that we did as a staff was to evaluate the things that we did do well and the things that we got to continue to improve on,” Wright said. “We found players that wanted to compete, come in here and win, wanted to work hard and wanted to be able to play as one.”
Only two Lady Mavericks from last season remain in Arlington: redshirt juniors forward Miraya Perkins and guard Amiyah Reynolds.
Perkins was seventh in points per game and ninth in rebounds per game last year, scoring and grabbing an average of 4.6 and 1.8, respectively. She is entering her fourth year at UTA and says that she’s become a team leader.
“My job is to kind of help lead the team and help the newcomers adjust as best as possible so it could be easy for them,” Perkins said. “Using what I’ve learned over the past few years, even from past teammates, has really helped me grow into more of a leader.”
Last year, Reynolds shared the court with three members of her family. Amiyah played alongside her big sister, Mila, and her little sister, Kira, while one of the assistant coaches was their dad, Steven Reynolds.
Now, Kira plays at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Mila plays at The University of New Mexico and Steven coaches a charter school in Phoenix, Arizona.
Redshirt junior guard Amiyah Reynolds hits a layup during practice Oct. 9 at College Park Center. Reynolds averaged 2.6 points per game last season.
The remaining Reynolds sister said that despite the lack of blood relatives by her side, she’s found a different type of family on the court.
“I’ve always loved playing with my sisters, but in the end, I just made a decision for me, and this was the best situation for me,” Amiyah Reynolds said. “It was the best environment for me, and probably the place where I can be able to flourish the most.”
To replenish the roster, Wright reached for upperclassman transfers from across the nation and all levels.
One notable addition is guard Jalyn Brown, the team’s only 5th-year player. Brown has spent her entire career at the power-conference level, spending time at the University of Louisville, Arizona State University and Michigan State University.
Junior forward Faith Carson has also played in the Big Ten Conference, spending her first two seasons at The Ohio State University. Also coming to Arlington after years in the Buckeye State is junior guard Liz Murphy, who arrives from The University of Akron.
Junior guard Keshanti Gordon posts a defender up during practice Oct. 9 at College Park Center. Gordon was previously a redshirt at Murray State College.
UTA also brought on talent from the small-college ranks. Three Lady Mavericks come to the program straight from schools in the National Junior College Athletic Association.
Last season, junior forward Katelyn Brinkley led Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in rebounds per game, while junior guards Amaya Williams and Chelsea Bishop respectively led Lamar Community College and Florida SouthWestern State College in scoring.
UTA will play several high-level opponents in its nonconference schedule, including the University of Wyoming, Texas Christian University, Missouri State University and California State University, Fresno.
“What’s important for us is to make sure that we put our teams in a position to gain some confidence, to play some teams within our level, but also those teams who’ve had success,” Wright said. “Each year is different in how you schedule. It’s trying to make sure you put your team in the best position to be successful.”
Freshman guard Ahniyah Bennett attempts a layup the ball during practice Oct. 9 at College Park Center. Bennet is from Connersville, Indiana.
The Lady Mavericks are entering the inaugural season of the United Athletic Conference, the third conference of Wright’s tenure. Though UTA will face two schools it shared a conference with last year, the team has never played against half of the schools in the new conference.
“That’s the good thing about technology now. You get to be able to scout; you’ll be able to watch those teams,” Wright said. “We get to follow their progress until we get to the time of being able to play them.”
The Lady Mavericks will play their first-ever games against Austin Peay State University, Eastern Kentucky University, the University of North Alabama and the University of West Georgia.
The team said its goal this year is primarily to increase its win total from last year, then to hopefully become the first United Athletic Conference champions.
“We want to win games. So success for us is winning as many games as possible,” Amiyah Reynolds said. “We want to do good in noncon, we want to do good in conference play and then obviously, when it gets here, we want to perform well when it counts.”
The Lady Mavericks will open the season at home, beginning the march to March against California State University, Sacramento, at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at College Park Center.
@TyRoland06