With leading scorer and junior guard Latara Darrett being declared ineligible for the last seven games of the season and both senior forward Gaati Werema and senior guard Candice Thomas suffering injuries, this past season was filled with a series of unfortunate events which led the Lady Panthers basketball team to a downfall as the reigning SWAC champions for the past three seasons.
Darrett was a key factor for the Lady Panthers as she averaged 15.7 points per game, and racked up several awards for her outstanding play, including the HRSN Player of the Week, back-to-back SWAC Player of the Week Awards, and the New Comer of the Year Award, before being declared ineligible by the NCAA for reasons relating to her transfer from Baylor University. Assistant Coach Toyelle Wilson explained Darrett’s situation as a mix-up with paperwork, and stated that Darrett was only ineligible until the paperwork was properly processed.
Athletic Director Fred Washington said, “Neither Ms. Darrett or the women’s basketball team did anything wrong. The student was held out from participation by the athletic department while we reviewed information and documentation and asked for a review from the NCAA. The student athlete was allowed to return to the team following notification from the NCAA and no penalties were imposed against the team.”
The Lady Panthers, who began the season with a 10-6 record in which they were undefeated during their first seven conference games, suffered their first loss on Jan. 30 to Alabama A&M after Werema tore her ACL, an injury that would place her on the inactive list for the remainder of the season.
Darrett said, “Gaati is just amazing on the court. We need her presence, her rebounding ability, and her leadership ability. Her game is untouched, and when a player like that goes down, it’s just like the Lakers losing Kobe Bryant.”
Days later, the team received more bad news, when Thomas was injured during the first half of the Alabama State game on Feb. 1. Despite Thomas and Werema’s injuries, the Lady Panthers still managed to bounce back behind the strong play of Darrett and junior guard Dominique Smith to win three straight games against Alabama State, Texas Southern, and Jackson State, and remained in first place in the SWAC with a 10-1 conference record. However, after Darrett’s situation occurred the Lady Panthers found themselves in a bind with three of their four leading scorers on the inactive list.
Now, for the first time since 2007, the Lady Panthers ended the regular season without being in first place or being the number one seed in the SWAC tournament. During the first game of the SWAC tournament, the Lady Panthers were eliminated in a two-point loss to Alabama State.
Wilson said, “Losing our top three scorers really hindered us from being a complete unit. Role players had to step up and take on a duty that they weren’t used to. Ultimately, the sum of all your parts will determine if you are successful on any given night, and in this case Alabama State showed up and got the win.”
After being eliminated in the SWAC tournament, the Lady Panthers entered the Post Season National Invitational Tournament, where their season came to an end due to an 82-70 loss to the University of Kansas.