Schreiner women’s hoops shows grit in rebuilding year against Mary Hardin-Baylor

Six weeks ago, first-year Schreiner University women’s basketball coach Kendra Foreman was gearing up for the 2024-2025 basketball season, but she had another pressing concern. Foreman was about to give birth to her second son.

The last few months have been a whirlwind for Foreman, ranging from being named to replace Stacy Stephens as Schreiner coach to giving birth to leading a rebuilt Mountaineers program struck by offseason departures.

On Wednesday night, Foreman’s Mountaineers came close to knocking off visiting University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Foreman’s alma mater. Schreiner held a 26-24 halftime lead against the Crusaders, but the Mountaineers couldn’t hold off UMHB in the second half in a 56-43 loss.

“We have to play a 40-minute game and we haven’t put it all together yet,” said Foreman, a former Mary Hardin-Baylor standout who previously served as the interim coach for her alma mater and at Howard Payne. At Schreiner, Foreman gets a chance to build her legacy.

Foreman’s six-week-old son is a fixture at the team’s practices.

“I’ve been a little-bit tired but all of the girls love him,” Foreman said of her infant son’s impact on the team.

Foreman took over a program that saw plenty of highs under Stephens, who became a top assistant at NCAA Division I University of Missouri-Kansas City. The Mountaineers also lost leading scorer DeMauria Miles, a three-time all-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference standout, and standout reserve Nariyah Buggs.

However, Foreman brought Kiarra Green, who scored 10 points against the Crusaders. Foreman recruited sharpshooting guard JayDee Zamora from Coastal Bend College. Zamora scored a game-high 18 points, all from 3-point range.

But the Mountaineers also feature returners Bri Sosa, Skye Thomas, Madison Parham, Kya Bradshaw and Tamia Moody. Sosa is injured, but she was a breakout star for the Mountaineers last season, averaging 8.9 points per game. Sosa averaged 17.5 points per game before her injury.

The Mountaineers are off to a 1-4 start but have pushed everyone, including Mary Hardin-Baylor, owners of a 12-game winning streak against Schreiner. The Mountaineers face East Texas Baptist and the University of Texas-Dallas this weekend in Dallas. Schreiner faced Texas A&M San Antonio on Nov. 26 before its Dec. 10 SCAC opener against visiting Trinity.