OKLAHOMA CITY (Nov. 15, 2019) – Quite likely, when Oklahoma Christian starts its women's basketball season on Saturday, it will be the latest season opener in the history of the OC program.

There are plenty of reasons for the late start – OC's move into the Lone Star Conference and a lack of available opponents for so-called "exempt" games last weekend (when most other NCAA Division II squads began play) among them. But coach Stephanie Findley, who's entering her 35th season leading the program, considers it a blessing, as it's given the Lady Eagles just a bit more time to get healthy and learn the system before the games count.
 
That's especially key this season as OC – which will visit Southeastern Oklahoma State for a 7 p.m. game – will have a new look after the departure of two-time All-America guard Addy Clift, who led Division II in scoring last season at 26.4 points per game and ended her OC career with 2,104 points.

Where will all that scoring come from this season? Findley is as interested as anyone to find out.

"I feel like we're all searching as to what this team is going to develop into and look like, and it's not going to be one player," she said. "It will be all of us. I'm anxious for that to start happening and to see how the chemistry goes and where those points come from, because they're going to come from several people. They're not going to come from one person. I'm still not sure I know how I even think it might turn out. I'm just along for the ride and we'll see how we develop."

For the past several years, OC has had a go-to player offensively. The last two seasons, it was Clift, whose deep shooting range and ability to score from all over the court provided the Lady Eagles with a unique weapon. As a result, her teammates often deferred to Clift offensively. Now, Findley is encouraging her players to be more aggressive in looking for their own shots.

"These girls haven't put up a lot of game shots," Findley said. "Getting used to having that responsibility of stepping up and making shots when they're open is a little different. There's a little more pressure to that, maybe, but you also hope these kids are looking forward to the opportunity."

With a short roster – only 14 players – the opportunity is there for everyone on the team to contribute in one way or another. Findley is looking to her senior and junior classes to step more into leadership roles on the team.
 
"I'm encouraged and anxious to see us develop, to see these girls take the reins now, so to speak, since Addy's not here, and make it their team," Findley said. "Megan (Shelton) is a silent leader and leads by example. Carolyne (Lawley) is more vocal, but they are two of our hardest workers. Those juniors, too, are taking it and making it their team, and that's what I'm anxious to see."

In the backcourt, junior Maddison Collyer is a two-year starter at point guard (7.9 points per game, 4.8 assists per game) who led the Heartland Conference last season in assists and figures to be among the fastest players in the Lone Star this season. Sophomore Shelby Sanderson has looked sharp at the point during OC's exhibition games this month – scoring 15 points in a loss at Mid-America Christian – while junior Kenna Kellam is a steady veteran who's familiar with the OC system.

Senior Megan Shelton (6.6 ppg, 4.5 rebounds per game) started every game last season at shooting guard and – like many players – will be looked to to produce more offensively. Another senior, Connor Atkinson, has developed into a 3-point sharpshooter off the bench, and freshman Shelby Garrett has flashed potential during the preseason and "is catching on very quickly," Findley said. Sophomore Crystal Bell also has shown the ability to knock down the outside shot in limited game action.

"It's about making the right decisions," Findley said. "Last year, it was getting the ball to Addy. Now, we've got to make the right read and find who's open. It will be a process. We're stopping in practice as we see a lot of those (situations) and talking about it. I think that will come."
 
On the wings, junior Tyra Peck and sophomore Kendra Levings will be asked to help stretch the floor with outside shooting. Levings, next to Clift, had the deepest shooting range on the team last season, while Peck also has proven to be a pest defensively.

On paper, Findley seems to have a deep stable of capable inside players. Junior forward Katie Mayo (16.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg) finished second (behind Clift) in the Heartland in scoring last season and was fifth in rebounding and second in total blocked shots (46) while shooting a healthy 39.6 percent from 3-point range. She'll no doubt be a primary focus of opponents' defense, which Findley is trying to prepare her for.

When healthy, senior center Carolyne Lawley has provided the Eagles with a solid scoring and rebounding threat, while sophomore center Kendall Blackburn was off to a strong start last season, averaging 6.5 points per game, before suffering a season-ending injury in her 11th collegiate game.

Two newcomers also should figure into the mix. Freshman forward Emma Epperly was OC's leading scorer during the two-game exhibition season while another freshman, Amaya Buchanan, has plenty of athleticism and is a strong rebounder, but also is rounding back into shape after an injury last season.

Because of the LSC's 22-game schedule, OC will play only four nonconference games. The league schedule will feature home-and-home games against five divisional opponents – Cameron, Midwestern State (Texas), Arkansas-Fort Smith, Texas-Tyler and Texas A&M-Commerce – and single games against the other 12 league teams.

OC fared well last season against LSC competition, going 4-1 – beating Midwestern State and Cameron and losing to Angelo State (Texas) on neutral courts, winning at Texas Woman's and beating Eastern New Mexico at home.

"If we shoot good, could we knock off (a top-tier LSC team)? I think we could," Findley said. "This league is a bit of an unknown to us, so I'll be interested to see how we do as the season progresses."