Baylor Women's Basketball Notes: Big 12 Media Days

Spoke with Nicki Collen, Caitlin Bickle, Ja’Mee Asberry and Sarah Andrews for quite a while at the WBB Media Days. 

It’s always shocking how many people show up to these things and then don’t ask questions of the teams. 

Here’s some info. 

⇒Nicki Collen mentioned she lost her sister when she was 39, and that after that, she said she wouldn’t do anything she’s not passionate about. She said she’s passionate about the sport and growing the game. 

⇒All three players loved doing the “Our Time” series. Nicki said there was only one time she asked ESPN to cut the mic, so it was a real series. She said the show gave the Baylor fanbase an opportunity to learn who she was, and she knew it’d be tough walking in to replace Kim. She noted that she enjoys talking to the media — and often runs long in interviews — because in the “W” (what a cool abbreviation for the WNBA) they had to fight for any press coverage, so she loves the chances to grow the game. 

⇒Expect the team to continue shooting more threes. When I framed it that Baylor shot a lot of threes last season, she noted that it was a lot compared to last season, but that Baylor still didn’t shoot that many relative to the nation. She expects Baylor to shoot way more this season, which will help with spacing. 

⇒She said the Bears will use five pick-and-roll defenses this season, while last year they only had two they felt comfortable with. With fewer scholarship players, she couldn’t put as much pressure on everyone, while this season they can. 

⇒Catarina Ferreira has improved the most from the summer. 

⇒Aijha Blackwell is playing at a high level and gives some positional flexibility for the Bears. She can play small forward for the team. 

⇒Ja’Mee Asberry with a hysterical quote. I asked her about how she felt that Baylor was picked fourth in the Big 12. “Voting only counts when it’s for the president.”

⇒Tons of academic success for the trio. Caitlin Bickle is working on her master’s. Asberry will have her master’s in December. She joked that she’d either take freshmen classes in the spring or maybe earn a doctorate. 

⇒I’m always interested in how players feel on days they crush it shooting. When MaCio Teague went 9-of-12 against Texas Tech back in 2021, he joked that he wasn’t playing very well in warmups. Sarah Andrews told me that her first two bounced in, and then after that the hoop just looked giant all day, as she went 7-of-10 from deep against KU. 

⇒Another aspect that always interests me is hearing about organizational and management philosophies. Nicki Collen did think that chemistry is often an overrated component and a cliche used. She said, “Winning lockerrooms always seem to have good chemistry.” But she said that the smiles and ways the players get along this season is great. 

⇒The three players all noted that people may not understand how funny they all are. They said they enjoy film sessions and have a good relationship. 

⇒I asked Nicki Collen, “What if an opponent shows they’re really bad against a particular coverage or scheme you haven’t run much, would you all consider installing that late.” She said that you almost can’t do that because there’s so much complexity to changing who you are, but she did not, as mentioned above, Baylor has five pick-and-roll coverages this season, which will allow Baylor to be more multiple. 

⇒I came away really impressed by everyone I talked with. I always like asking the younger generation of folks, “Do you understand we pretty much just had Scruff’s and fast food a decade ago in Waco?” I’m shocked every time I come to Waco how much better the town keeps getting. 

⇒When Ashley asked if I’d cover today’s event, along with the men’s, I was a bit reluctant. I don’t know much about women’s college basketball, and it’s a bit intimidating if you’re wasting time of folks who are elite at an activity. But all three players and Nicki Collen are exceptional representatives of Baylor. Proud to have them representing Baylor.