POPLARVILLE, Miss. — On the back of two straight 20-win seasons and a pair of Region 23 finals appearances, the No. 15 Pearl River women's basketball team hopes that it is ready to take the next step in the 2023-24 campaign.
"We have to look at the journeys over the last two years," head coach Scotty Fletcher said. "We ended up at the same destination but finished short. We have to look at the formula that we used to get there and see what we can change to finish things out.
"The biggest thing this year is getting our players to understand that they are responsible and they have ownership of the type of success that we will have this season."
Pearl River begins the season ranked 15th in the NJCAA's preseason poll, marking the first time in program history to earn a preseason ranking that high.
"This was the vision that we had from day one. We wanted to bring this program to national relevance and hoped to accomplish what the men have accomplished for so many years," Fletcher said. "It's been a day-by-day, step-by-step journey. It's very humbling."
Every program in the country aspires to make it to "The Big Dance" and Fletcher hopes his team has what it takes to get that done.
"Every team in our region has the same expectation on where we want to finish our season and that's in Casper, Wyoming, at the National Tournament," he said. "If our season is going to come to an end, we'd love for it to be there."
The Wildcats kick off the season on the road at Columbia State on Friday. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The first chance to see PRCC at home will be on Nov. 10 against Enterprise State as part of the Pearl River Classic.
CENTERS
Samya Brooks (Pontotoc) transferred into Pearl River from Alabama State, where she featured in 16 games for the Yellow Jackets. The former Mississippi/Alabama All-Star is set to make a major impact on the Wildcats this season.
"She's a two-time Dandy Dozen and a Division I transfer," Fletcher said. "She wants to be great. Her work ethic is through the roof. She's been all-in since she arrived, and her experience from the Division I level is really going to help us this season."
Six-foot-3 Roge'Ne' Hillard (Hazlehurst; Copiah Academy) and 6-foot-4 Leah Wilcher (Brookhaven) will also make a big impact at the center position. Hillard was a McDonald's All-American nominee during her senior season, and Wilcher participated in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Game.
"Roge'Ne' and Leah were two highly sought-after post players in this class with their size, strength and shot-blocking ability," Fletcher said. "They can really be a presence in the post. Just being able to substitute those three at the five spot gives us so much depth and size, which is something we really haven't had."
FORWARDS
Another transfer, Taylor Johnson-Matthews (Cleveland, Ohio.; Charles F. Brush), is set to be a true difference-maker in 2023-24. The guard/forward hybrid averaged 3.8 points and 2.5 rebounds at Wright State last season.
"Taylor's potential is through the roof," Fletcher said. "She's physical, strong and athletic, and she can score at all three levels. She played the post at Wright State, which will pay dividends for that position in this league. She can shoot the 3-pointer and mid-range, too. There are going to be some exciting days with her in the maroon and gold."
Gardner-Webb transfer Tiir Nyok (High Point, N.C.; Southwest Guilford) gives the Wildcats versatility across the position. She played in 16 games for the Bulldogs, including three in the Big South Tournament.
"She's another version of Keke (former Wildcat Keshunti Nichols) in a lot of ways," Fletcher said. "She covers a lot of ground and has very good basketball instincts. She can shoot the three and drive inside. She's a tough matchup and is going to be extremely fun to watch.
Pearl River will be without Brooklyn Anderson (Greeneville, Tenn.; North Greene) to begin the season, but Fletcher expects her to make an impact when she returns.
"Brooklyn is an exceptional young lady who has a nose for the ball and rebounds extremely well," he said. "She can stretch the defense with her ability to make shots away from the basket."
GUARDS
The Wildcats have two returners on the 2023-24 roster in guards Hama'ya Fielder (Philadelphia; Neshoba Central) and Alexis Arrington (Terry).
Fielder only started three games for PRCC last season but was third on the team in minutes, averaging 15.2 per game. She was also tied for third on the team in points per game with a mark of 8.2. She was named to the NJCAA JUCO Top-40 event in the summer.
"Hama'ya has always been a hard worker, but you can tell now that it's personal with her," Fletcher said. "She's playing with a purpose. We expect her to be that natural team leader and captain. The type of player that she is allows us to stretch the floor and have more freedom offensively."
Arrington started 14 of 27 games for the Wildcats as a freshman and was a key contributor. She finished the year averaging three points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals.
"She's got such a high motor and plays so hard," Fletcher said. "She's a great on-ball defender and can get downhill into the paint to create opportunities for her teammates. She's done a phenomenal job of mentoring the new girls and showing them the ropes."
Panola College transfer Avery Young (Iota, La.) and Eastern New Mexico transfer Marley Freeman (Brandon) round out the transfers.
Young averaged 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 31 games for the Ponies.
"She had a lot of success in the Texas Junior College Region, which is extremely tough," Fletcher said. "She's the daughter of a coach, so her basketball IQ is extremely high. With all the minutes she has played, she's got a ton of experience. You can't put a price tag on that. She's going to be an exciting player."
Freeman finished with a line of 2.5 points per game and 1.8 rebounds for the Division II Greyhounds.
"She's going to be a coach one day. She teaches our girls the plays. She knows every position, one through five," he said. She was highly recruited out of high school and played major minutes at a Division II school, so her experience will be huge for us."
Pearl River dipped into Tupelo for a pair of players once again this season with Audria Houston (Oxford; Tupelo) and Mikayla Riley (Tupelo). The duo led Tupelo to a 6A State Championship appearance as seniors.
"Mikayla is a versatile player that can play the wing or at the four," Fletcher said. "She got a lot of minutes at the varsity level from a young age. She's quicker and stronger than she looks. Audria is a physical, strong combo guard that is very electric. She gets downhill and is a good defender."
Fletcher has been impressed with the growth of Janiah Caples (Vicksburg) through the preseason. She averaged 17 points and seven assists as a senior at Vicksburg.
"She's probably had the most growth from day one to now and has established herself as an elite defender on our team," Fletcher said. "She's scrappy and is the typical Pearl River women's basketball player. She's hardnosed and loves to compete."
Kamren Edwards (Jackson; Murrah) rounds out the Wildcat guards. She was twice named the Region Player of the Year in her high school career.
"She's a combo guard that has played the point and off the ball," Fletcher said. "She can create her own shot and has a scoring mentality. She's becoming a better defender every single day. She doesn't know how good she can be, and that's our job to show her."
TUNE IN
All home Pearl River basketball games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app stores.
Games will also be available over the air in Pearl River County by tuning into 1320 AM and 106.9 FM. The radio broadcast is also available at WRJWRadio.com and by downloading the WRJW app.
TICKETS
To help improve traffic flow and fan experience, PRCC athletics box offices will be cashless in 2023-24. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted at the box office. Fans are encouraged to beat the lines and purchase their tickets in advance at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.
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