Sugar Bears
Sugar Bears, Hendrix Get Basketball Season Started Monday
Sugar Bears come into the season with high expectations after last season with lots of returning players
CONWAY, Ark. — Basketball season is finally here. The 2024-25 season opens for the Sugar Bears at the Farris Center on Monday, as UCA plays crosstown foe Hendrix.
Tip-off between the Sugar Bears and Warriors is set for 6:30 p.m.
The Sugar Bears come into the season with high expectations after last season. Behind second-year coach Tony Kemper, UCA brought back nearly everyone from last season’s rotation, with 95 percent of the minutes played returning to the team.
This includes six seniors, with guards Randrea Wright, Jade Upshaw, Kinley Fisher and Leah Mafua, and post players Bree Stephens and Cheyanne Banks.
Three of the guards, Wright, Upshaw and Fisher, were named Preseason All-ASUN players this season, highlighting the importance and talent in a backcourt filled with quality players.
Information from UCA Sports is included in this story
The trio combined for over 30 points per game, 130 three-pointers, 150 assists and 100 steals, helping the Sugar Bears reach the ASUN Championship Final for the first time since joining the ASUN in 2021.
Down low, Stephens was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, an honor befitting one of the best defenders in the ASUN last season. One of seven players in Division I with 45 steals and 45 blocks last season, Stephens’ ability to read and react is unparalleled in the league.
She made her mark on the roster as not only a great defender, though, but also logged 61 assists, helping move the ball into the right place at the right time to facilitate to the dearth of scorers on the Sugar Bears.
Hendrix enters the season similar to the Sugar Bears, returning all five starters from last season.
This includes the Southern Athletic Association Newcomer of the Year Riley Brady, who stepped in last year as a freshman and led the Warriors with 13.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. She tallied 13 double-doubles on the year, with season-highs of 22 points and 21 rebounds.
The Warriors also bring back sharpshooter Ava Knoedl, who led the Warriors with 63 three-pointers and ranked second on the team with a scoring average of 12.8 points per game.
Knoedl hit at least one three-pointer in every game but two last season, hitting the triple at a 36 percent clip. She had three 20-point outings, scoring a season-best 29 against Oglethorpe, hitting seven threes in that game.
Hendrix is under the direction of first-year head coach Wes Sullivan, who played baseball at UCA in the 90s. Since finishing his playing career, Sullivan has been all over the state coaching various sports at various levels, including three years as an assistant baseball coach at UCA.
Tip-off against the Warriors is set for 6:30 p.m. on Monday in the Farris Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available. As always, fans can follow the action on The Bear 91.3 as well.
Fans are encouraged to bring five canned goods to the game to receive a voucher for a discounted general admission ticket.
