Heard and Hoyt Chomping at the Bit to Get Cowgirls Basketball Season Going
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball gets going Wednesday (Oct. 15) in Birmingham, Ala. in an exhibition against 2024-25 Final Four team Auburn. That’s great! However, the most accomplished basketball team on campus and the highest-rated going into the season is still two weeks away from their first exhibition action. The Oklahoma State Cowgirls are ranked No. 22 in the newly released preseason Associated Press Women’s Top 25 Division I poll.
"We have earned that, but we're not satisfied,” said returning standout Stailee Heard. “I'm sure not satisfied. We know we can be the best team in the Big 12, and we possibly are the best team in the Big 12. We just have to prove that.”
Head coach Jacie Hoyt and the unanimous All-Big 12 performer Heard, who is also a unanimous preseason All-Big 12 team are both back after winnning 25 games last season. They are picked fourth in the Big 12 this preseason, and looking for more in the 25-26 campaign.
"I feel really good about our defense these last couple of weeks,” Hoyt told the media this week with a statement every coach wishes was their truth. “I think that's a real strong point for us, whereas maybe before we hung our hat a little bit more on offense. It's kind of fun, because I feel like we don't have to manufacture quite as much offensively when you have the type of defense that I think we will have.”
Defense wins, wins games, and leads to championships. Hoyt knows she has offense, but this season she knows she has post play, offense and defense, knows she has the star on the perimeter in Heard, and help for her. She knows she has scoring off the bench and she has the grinders needed. Those are the players every team needs to do the dirty work.
“I think our kids were all just really solid,” Hoyt added I can't say that one really stood out more than the others. “We have a lot of versatility with that: we could be really small and fast, or we could be really big and long. We would love to be as deep as possible once we get into conference play."
What bodes really well for the Cowgirls is Heard. You can depend on her every night. If she is off on the offensive end, then she becomes the best of grinders and makes up for the lack of offense in every other area.
"I feel more mature. Coach Jacie has asked me to lead this team; she expects a lot out of me, and I expect that from her,” Heard said with the utmost maturity. “I ask her to push me, I ask her to be hard on me, because I can get in the mindset where I'm just going through the motions, and [Coach Hoyt] can just nip that in the bud. I am the leader of this team.”
"I am trying to push her to rise to the moment and raise her level of intensity in the moments that aren't so big,” Hoyt said of Heard. “She's so gifted, she's so talented, she can show up and do something at 50 percent effort that most people can't do at 100 percent effort. So, where she has to grow right now for us is just bringing it every single day in terms of her intensity.”
Heard is joined now by here sister, Tyla-a sophomore guard; senior guard Micah Gray; junior forward and a real force inside in Praise Egharevba; transfer Haleigh Timmer, shooter Macey Huard; and sophomore guard Jadyn Wooten. Centers Favour Onoh (6-5) and Wilnie Joseph (6-5) could both make a difference inside.
The ignition switch, the straw, the hammer to the nail is Stailee Heard and Hoyt won’t let her forget it.
“We've been having conversations about that, I challenge her."
