Women's Basketball 11/8/2022 10:35:00 PM Rylan Stiles

Cameron Set to Open the Season

LAWTON, Okla. – The Cameron Aggies Women's Basketball team looks to build on a successful 2021-22 campaign led by new head coach Jeff Mahoney and veteran guard Katie King.

The Cameron Aggies finished with a 17-11 record a year ago, going 11-5 within the prestigious Lone Star Conference. Winning 17 games was the most the Aggies had turned in during a single season in over 20 years when Cameron finished the 2001-02 season with a 25-5 record. The Black and Gold dominated at home, protecting the Aggie Gym to the tune of a 10-6 record, which included a Lone Star Conference tournament home win over the 11th-ranked Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds before falling to the 3rd-ranked Texas A&M-Commerce Lions in the next round.

At season's end, the Aggies saw head coach Emma Andrews head up I-40 and take over the University of Central Oklahoma Bronchos program. Along with coach Andrews, the program's all-time leading scorer, Maighan Hedge, who graduated following the season, Hedge is one of four key contributors who are no longer with the Aggies.

CU only features four returners from last year's squad, but Jeff Mahoney is excited about the new additions to the team.

Mahoney had an interesting path to get here. While he has been an assistant coach for the past three years and even filled in as an interim bench boss for the men's program mid-way through the 2021-22 campaign, this will be his first time leading a college program on a full-time basis. What has changed the most for the long-time assistant? "Paperwork," Mahoney explained at Lone Star Conference Basketball Media Day.

The first-year head coach said they are trying to "take the next step." They are no longer "content" with a conference tournament or just simply making a regional.

King, one of just four returners from a year ago, has spent the offseason focusing on her Offensive game, understanding that the Aggies have lost some of their top scorers from a year ago.

With the transfer rules loosened by the NCAA, I asked King why she elected to stay at Cameron, "I am big on loyalty. I am loyal to coach Mahoney; I love how he coaches, which is 100 percent why I wanted to stay."

King, a veteran guard from Harrah, Oklahoma, took home All-Freshman team honors in 2020-21 and was the Aggies Athletic department's student-athlete freshman of the year award-winning that same year. King played for Mahoney at Harrah high school before they eventually landed with the Aggies.

Despite the historic success a year ago, the Lone Star Conference preseason poll still pegs the Aggies for 8th; Mahoney said, "It doesn't really surprise me, somewhere in the middle is about where we finished last year, one thing about the Lone Star is anyone can beat you any night."

The focus for this year's team will be to be "more balanced; we have to be more consistent, we are not going to shoot the ball on the perimeter as much as we have in the past…we want to be able to score the ball inside a little more."

The balance will be a key for the Cameron Aggies offensively this year, and Mahoney noted that throughout the preseason, Cameron had scored the ball well at all three levels. In recent years CU has sold out for three-point shots, but this year "the mid-range game has looked to be a nice addition for us." coach Mahoney said.

King will play a significant role in this team getting over the hump, saying she tries to "set the tone" as she arrives to practice each and every day "in a positive way," but the scrappy defensive guard does say the program's mindset has changed "There has been a shift in our mindset, we have high hopes for this year, and I think everyone is 100 percent in and we all want a ring, to be conference champions."

The Cameron Aggies brought in nine new players to this 2022-23 squad, including another Division-1 transfer Mikayla Peterson who comes to the Aggies via Weber State and marks the second Black and Gold player with DI experience along with Korie Allensworth, who spent her freshman season at Louisiana Tech.

Claire Dodds, Alena Wilson, and Hallie Horton all jump to the DII level here at Cameron from the JUCO ranks after putting together impressive careers.

Mahoney said Wilson would be a "force" in the Lone Start Conference" with "great hands and athleticism, despite being a bit undersized inside." adding a quality post player can unlock a new dimension for the Black and Gold on both ends of the floor.

The Cameron Aggies will start their season on November 11th in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for a two-day stint at the conference crossover tournament as they play UC Colorado Springs on November 11th and Adams State on 12th before returning to the friendly confines of the Aggie gym on November 15th to take on Harding University.

While the Aggies have a lot of newcomers and visions of rings on their fingers at the end of the year, they can reach those expectations with the veteran leadership of Katie King and head coach Jeff Mahoney, both of whom were a part of the last Aggies squad to reach the DII NCAA March Madness tournament.

For the latest news and updates on CU Women's Basketball, follow @AggiesWBB on TWITTER or visit www.cameronaggies.com.

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Players Mentioned

#23 Korie Allensworth: G/F; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#10 Katie King: G; 5' 6"; Sophomore

#11 Mikayla Peterson: F; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#22 Alena Wilson: F; 5' 10"; Junior

#12 Hallie Horton: G; 5' 5"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#23 Korie Allensworth
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G/F

#10 Katie King
: 5' 6"; Sophomore
: G

#11 Mikayla Peterson
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: F

#22 Alena Wilson
: 5' 10"; Junior
: F

#12 Hallie Horton
: 5' 5"; Junior
: G