When the Memphis Women’s basketball team starts its season, they do this with education on its mind. Head coach Alex Simmons begins her third season at the helm of the Tigers as they welcome Arkansas-Pine Bluff to Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The game, set for an 11 a.m. tip, will be streamed on ESPN+.
Education Is The Theme
The annual Education Day, the inaugural game of the season, is a great way to tip off the year of hoops. In this event, the Tigers will welcome over 1,000 local students to watch this contest. While there, Memphis will keep them engaged with specialized music and themed entertainment in addition to the game on the court.
To see a program leaning into education, along with local support of student bodies, is refreshing. Simmons can utilize this connection to further her program, with strong recruiting relationships being built at an early age. These connections can continue the legacy and impact of this gesture across the city and state. In the end, keeping several Memphis players will keep seats filled in Elma Roane.
Who Are The Lions?
The opponent for the opener is the Lions of UAPB. They are led by Erica Leak, who will begin her second season at the helm on the sidelines. Before taking this program over, Leak led the West Memphis High School program for four seasons. She led the Lady Blue Devils to a 2023 state final for the first time in 20 years. This success assisted in Leak being named the Arkansas Coach of the Year for that season. In her inaugural season, the Lions finished 3-25.
On the Lions roster, there is some Memphis flavor as it features a trio of players. The first is Briah Hampton, a 6’2 forward senior who played for Memphis East in high school. Another forward for the Lions is former Collierville Lady Dragon Kristyna Boyd, who comes in at 5’9 and has a physical style of play. Another West Memphis player joined the roster as freshman Tyra Taylor, a forward who adds depth to the roster. Seeing Leak utilize her connections to West Memphis shows an understanding of how to build swiftly, yet for both now and for the future.
Looking at the series between the two programs, Memphis leads 4-1 all-time against the Lions. Most recently, these two teams tangled in 2013, with the Tigers winning 91-45. The lone loss in this series for the Tigers came in the 2007 season. In that game, the Lions prevailed 99-97 in overtime.
Elma Roane Is A Jungle
When opponents come to “The Roane” for an opener, leaving with a win is not an easy task. On Monday, Memphis will look to improve on an impressive record in its opening game. In these games, the Tigers are 25-19, which is impressive considering some of the past openers, which include some “P4” opponents.
Powering this record in openers is 11 wins in the last 14 games. For a program that has struggled to close out opponents, a win to start 2025 is key. In the case of Simmons, she saw a fight in the Hoops for St Jude Tip Off Classic versus #19 Vanderbilt. Coming off a season that saw the Tigers only win single-digit games, this season will be under a microscope from us at 4 Star Sports to see improvement on the court, in recruiting, and in the win column.
In closing, Simmons has rebuilt this program as 10 players will play their first game in the Blue and Gray. The only two returning players in all of Memphis basketball, Men’s or Women’s roster, will take the court as Tamya Smith and Bailey Gilmore are returners. With a new roster full of new talents, seeing how the styles gel starts on Monday morning. Simmons will see how smart she and the staff have been as they tussle with the Lions. We will have more on this game on Tuesday night as we present a new episode of the ‘Tigers Den’ on our sports network.
