UL women’s basketball coach optimistic after tough season | UL Ragin’ Cajuns

UL women’s basketball coach Garry Brodhead isn’t running from last year’s many trials that produced a 5-26 campaign.

But as he enters his 14th season with the Ragin’ Cajuns, he isn’t discouraged by it.

“I’m not a person that’s going to get discouraged,” Brodhead said during the Sun Belt basketball media days Zoom call Tuesday. “I think the biggest thing … has been learning, learning, learning. You learn how to change, you know?

“We had to do some changes … not only with the way we were doing things, but also with the … the lineups and going out and recruit, and, you know, that the whole college sports has changed so much that we need to adjust to it.”

UL fans will get their first look at Brodhead’s new team in an exhibition game against LSU-Alexandria at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Cajundome.

There are many reasons to believe the Cajuns can make a rapid improvement in the Sun Belt standings, despite the coaches picking UL to finish 13th. One is the coaching staff has been intact throughout the offseason, unlike last year.

Because of that, Brodhead is convinced the program’s “fall” to five wins last year was largely misinterpreted.

“I’m lucky to have some young coaches that help me with that (changes),” he said. “People say you fall, but I felt like we fell forward. We did not fall back. We continue to fall forward.”

For most of last season, there were very few options on the bench. This year, the roster is filled with promising newcomers.

“We really believe in what we have now,” Brodhead said. “We haven’t gotten to some of the things that I really want to do. We’re still on the basic part of our deal. Right now, we’re spending a lot of time on defense. We want to make sure that everybody can defend.”

There are still some veterans around in seniors Jazmyne Jackson, Mikaylah Manley and Kahlen Norris, as well as seasoned sophomores Imani Daniel and Amijah Price.

“Jazmyne is shooting lights out, man,” Brodhead said. “I’m excited about her. Mikaylah is an offensive threat every time she catches the ball.

“Imani is a special player. She’s one that’s the first one in the gym and the last one out. She doesn’t have an injury. She can be hurt — break her finger or do whatever — and she’s going to continue to play. That’s the kind of toughness we need.”

UL also added size in 6-foot-3 freshmen from Senegal, Aminata Sowe and Ndioba Lo, as well as 6-2 Kayllis Walker from Laurel, Mississippi.

“(Assistant coach) Temeka (Johnson) has kind of been all over the world, and she had some connections,” Brodhead said of the international additions.

UL also added two junior-college guards in Malaya Jones from Trinity Valley Community College and Kennedi Johnson from Tyler Junior College.

Perhaps the biggest impression so far has been left by 5-7 John Curtis standout Bailey Timmons.

“Bailey Timmons has really, really, really surprised me coming in,” Brodhead said. “She’s 17 years old and some of the things that she’s improved on this summer … she’s probably our best defensive player already. Offensively, she’s pretty close to being the best offensive player already, too.”

The other freshman newcomers include Justyse George from Teurlings Catholic, Kelis Dansby from Clarksville, Indiana, and Janja Dragistic from Montenegro.

“I thought we had a pretty good summer, and now we’re building on it,” Brodhead said. “We got a lot of work left to do, though. We’ve got some newcomers and we’ve got a lot of young kids who are working, but we’re excited about. Defensively, we need some work, and offensively, we need some work, but it really has been going pretty good.”