Copyright American Press
Cowgirls suddenly title contenders Ayla Guzzardo liked her visits to Townsley Law Arena so much that she decided to make the place her home. She also chose to bring more than a few friends along. The former McNeese State rival women’s basketball coach who made a winner out of Southeastern expects to do the same now that she leads the Cowgirls. “We want to bring championships here now,” said Guzzardo. “That is our plan. We have a winning culture and we want to bring it here.” McNeese fans are ready for the change. After a decade of struggles, the Cowgirls are one of the league’s favorites in the blink of an eye. The Cowgirls are even receiving votes in a preseason Mid-Major poll. They will open their season Monday at 11 a.m. against Pensacola Christian on Joe Dumars Court. “We are going to be fun,” Guzzardo said. “We are excited and we are going to play fast. We are not big, but we are tough.” Guzzardo teams are known for in-your-face defense from the opening tip to the final buzzer. They have also had success in their new arena as guests. “We have played here before and we have done it here,” Guzzardo said. “We have won here and we have lost here. Now we want to bring a championship here.” While the Cowgirls won’t officially be the defending champs, with nine players and the staff coming off the regular season title at Southeastern, they clearly should be considered the front-runners. Joining Guzzardo at McNeese is point guard Jalencia Pierre, the two-time SLC Defensive Player of the Year. The senior is the key to the Cowgirls’ swarming, pressing defense. “This is a new place, but we are the same people,” said Pierre. “We have the same expectations to win here this year.” A total of nine players come to McNeese with Guzzardo from Southeastern, so it’s hard to say all 13 newcomers are learning the program equally. “We came here because of the coach,” said forward Lexi Alexander. “We are family here, and when we heard she was going to McNeese, we all wanted to go with her.” Alexander is one of two former SLC Freshman of the Year on the squad. She earned her honor in 2023 while at Nicholls. The other, Kaili Chamberlin, won the award in 2022 while at McNeese before transferring out and is now back. Only one player is back from last year’s McNeese team, Paris Guillory, but the St. Louis High grad, who led the team in scoring, will miss the season with a knee injury. “Losing Paris is a blow to the team. We were looking forward to coaching her,” Guzzardo said. “For us, it is just next person up.” A pair of freshmen, whom Guzzardo recruited for Southeastern, flipped to McNeese when she moved. Dakota Howard and Carley Hamilton are expected to contribute right away to help offset any offensive losses. Unlike recent Cowgirl teams, this has a lot of state flavor. A total of eight players are from Louisiana, and not one is from outside the country. That alone proves this is a new-look McNeese team. Cowgirls Roster 0 Lexi Alexander F 6-0 Senior Southeastern 1 Jalenica Pierre G 5-5 Senior Southeastern 2 Arianna Patton G 5-5 Senior Southeastern 3 Allasia Washington G 5-8 Senior Southeastern 4 Paris Guillory G 5-7 Sophomore McNeese 5 Jamar’i Bell G 5-9 Freshman Huntington High 6 Kaili Chamberlin G 5-9 Senior Southeastern 7 Tyreona Sibley G 5-8 Sophomore Southeastern 8 Avari Berry G 5-6 Junior Southeastern 13 Mo’Nique Joseph F 6-1 Senior Southeastern 20 Carley Hamilton G 5-7 Freshman Huntington High 24 Dakota Howard F 5-11 Freshman Parkway High 30 Jalenica Pierre G 5-10 Freshman Southeastern 34 A’Yiana Flemings C 6-4 Sophomore Three Rivers CC
