Coming off a rough season, the Cowgirls officially begin work on a pivotal year Wednesday when they take the floor for the first official practice of the new year.

The McNeese State women’s basketball team finished just 6-25 last year, winning only two Southland Conference games and missing the postseason tournament. 

Now, with a host of new players, several from Louisiana, the Cowgirls are looking for a big bounce back.

“This is the most excitement to start a season since I have been here,” said head coach Lynn Kennedy, who begins his fourth year leading the Cowgirls. 

“We have a fresh, new outlook and a lot of new players. I think we have upgraded our talent. We are bigger, longer and much more athletic.”

However, the Cowgirls will be missing a key newcomer for the start of the season. Prize transfer guard Paris Guillory, a local product of St. Louis High School, will be out until mid-December after having offseason work done on her knee.

The sophomore, who came back home after one season at Louisiana Tech, has stayed around the program all through the summer and is starting to run and cut.

“We are going to be very cautious with her,” Kennedy said. “We want her to get 100 percent healthy before she gets in there.”

With the expanded Southland Conference opening league play in late December, Kennedy hopes to get Guillory in the lineup for a couple of games before league play begins.

“We would love that and get her a few games under her belt before the conference starts,” said Kennedy. “That is our target right now.”

McNeese opens league play on Dec. 21 at home against Southeastern. The Cowgirls start their season on Nov. 4, also at home, against Ecclesia at 11 a.m. in the annual Kid’s Game.

“What we are really excited about is bringing the new players, many of them with ties to Lousiana, here,” said Kennedy. “We have worked hard as a staff to get more local players over the years and this season it paid off.”

Kennedy credited his staff, especially newcomer associate head coach Mike Pittman, who heads up recruiting, for the new faces on the roster.

“Mike really bridged the gap for us to get the Louisiana girls here,” said Kennedy. “We were able to go out and hand-pick some of the players we wanted to bring in here instead of settling on what we could get.” 

The Cowgirls also stuck around all summer for the most part, helping to create early chemistry.

“This is the first year where we got to keep our people here over the summer,” said Kennedy. “That is a big difference. I think we are two or three weeks ahead of last season already because of that.”

The Cowgirls find out exactly where they are when they hit the floor.