Tag: Jennie Baranczyk

Oklahoma Sooners Madi Williams wins Big 12 Player of the Week

For her efforts in wins over Baylor and West Virginia, Madi Williams was named the Big 12’s player of the week.

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The Oklahoma Sooners have had an impressive first season under new head coach Jennie Baranczyk. They’re 20-3 overall on the season and 9-2 in Big 12 play and currently tied with the Iowa State Cyclones for first place in the conference. Much of the success the Sooners have had has come from a team approach that’s seen several players win the Big 12 Player of the Week award. Madi Williams is the latest.

Yesterday, Williams became the fourth Sooner to win the award this season. She was the catalyst for Oklahoma’s wins over Baylor and West Virginia last week. Both tight games, the Sooners needed late-game heroics to pull out the win.

Against Baylor, Williams’ found Liz Scott for the go-ahead layup to give the Sooners the 78-77 win over the No. 9 Bears. In a double-overtime thriller against West Virginia, this time it was Williams getting the game-winning bucket with nine seconds left to send the Sooners to a 101-99 victory over the Mountaineers.

According to Oklahoma’s Twitter account, it is just the second time in the history of the award that four women have been selected Big 12 Player of the Week from the same team in the same season.

In addition to Williams, Skylar Vann, Taylor Robertson, and Ana Llanusa have each won the award this season.

Madi Williams shot 51% from the field and 40% from three-point range in the two Sooners’ victories, averaging, 21.5 points per game. She also averaged 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and two steals in the two wins. On the season, Williams is leading the Sooners with 18.6 points per game, eight rebounds per game, is fourth in assists and second in steals.

The Oklahoma Sooners look to add to their four-game winning streak on Saturday in Austin against the No. 16 Texas Longhorns.

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Oklahoma women’s basketball downs West Virginia, 88-76, improves to 16-2

Madi Williams scored 23 points, Taylor Robertson added 22 points and No. 14/19 Oklahoma topped West Virginia, 88-76, to improve to 16-2.

The Oklahoma women’s basketball team kept rolling, rallying from a halftime deficit to top West Virginia, 88-76, to improve to 16-2 overall (5-1 Big 12).

Senior Madi Williams finished with a team-high 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting and senior Taylor Robertson knocked down 5-of-10 from three-point distance to deliver 22 points.

Trailing 46-44 at halftime, OU outscored West Virginia 28-12 in the third quarter to take control. After WVU’s Esmery Martinez made a jumper to pull the Mountaineers within one point at 58-57, the Sooners closed the third on a 14-1 run to open the game up.

“What a tough game. I mean, I think obviously West Virginia is a very good basketball team. They’re very physical. I thought they pounded it inside on us. I thought they exposed us in a lot of areas and I’m really proud of our team. I thought our first quarter was pretty good and I thought that the way we came out of halftime. There were some great performances on both sides today which I think is a great game for women’s basketball,” Oklahoma head women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk said.

What exactly did spearhead that big third-quarter run for the Sooners?

“I think when we move and we play really good defense, we do a pretty nice job. I mean, we’re limited right now in terms of our inside play. We were down a point guard today, so I think we took care of the ball. I think sometimes it helps you on both ends. I’d have to go back and look, but I just think our overall energy and I thought the tempo of our game was a huge key in that third quarter,” Baranczyk said.

“I think we want to get up tempo. I mean, that’s a huge part of what we do period. Now, what I would’ve liked to have seen is not just fast break in the full court. I think in terms of up tempo, I love that in the full court. I also love it a little bit more in the half court. I think we got on our heels a little bit. Credit to West Virginia for that, especially in those second and third quarters, but, offensively, yeah, we want to be able to get out. It’s fun and I think we have a lot of people that can bring the ball up the floor. We have a lot of people that can do a lot of things. We want to be able to make reads and get up and down.”

It’s the best start for Oklahoma since the 2006-07 season. OU travels to Kansas State next where it will play the Wildcats at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

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Oklahoma up to No. 19 in USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll

After wins over then-No. 13 Baylor and TCU, OU jumped six spots to No. 19 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

After a week that saw Oklahoma rally from three separate double-digit deficits to topple then-No. 13 Baylor, 83-77, and collect a 100-71 triumph over TCU, the Sooners jumped up six spots to No. 19 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

It’s the highest ranking of the season for OU. Oklahoma made its debut in the Coaches Poll on Jan. 4 when the Sooners debuted at No. 25 and that’s the same ranking OU had last week before wins over Baylor and TCU.

OU also saw a program-best jump of nine spots in the AP Top 25 poll where the Sooners currently are ranked No. 14.

OU has won 12 of its past 13 gamesโ€”including a 99-91 overtime victory over then-No. 17 BYU on Dec. 10โ€”and the Sooners are enjoying their best start to a season at 15-2 (4-1 Big 12) since the 2006-07 squad began 17-1.

Oklahoma’s Skylar Vann was named the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Player of the Week after averaging 21 points per game, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 stealsย in the two wins over Baylor and TCU. Vann poured in 22 points off the bench versus Baylor.

“Their on-court chemistry you can see is really starting to come because they’re putting each other in their strengths. That’s been pretty fun to see,” Oklahoma head women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk said after the TCU win.

Oklahoma travels to West Virginia on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. before a second road date this week at Kansas State at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Other Big 12 teams that join the Sooners in the Coaches Poll include No. 7 Iowa State, No. 14 Texas and No. 16 Baylor. Kansas State also received one point in the receiving votes category.

The top five is No. 1 South Carolina, No. 2 Louisville, No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 North Carolina State and No. 5 Indiana.

Here’s a full look at the USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 South Carolina 17-1 792 (26) –
2 Louisville 15-1 765 (6) –
3 Stanford 13-3 736 –
4 NC State 16-2 705 –
5 Indiana 14-2 661 –
6 Tennessee 17-1 648 –
7 Iowa State 16-1 591 +2
8 Michigan 15-2 581 +2
9 Arizona 12-2 511 -2
10 LSU 17-2 473 +4
11 Maryland 12-5 452 -3
12 Connecticut 9-4 441 -1
13 Georgia 14-3 411 +2
14 Texas 12-3 336 -2
15 BYU 14-1 324 +2
16 Baylor 11-4 321 -3
17 Notre Dame 13-3 285 +2
18 Georgia Tech 13-4 226 -2
19 Oklahoma 15-2 216 +6
20 North Carolina 14-2 211 -2
21 Florida Gulf Coast 15-1 147 +2
22 Kentucky 8-5 123 -2
23 Colorado 13-2 79 -1
24 Duke 11-4 74 +3
25 Ohio State 13-3 63 +2

Schools Dropped Out

No. 24 South Florida

Others Receiving Votes

Iowa 59; Oregon 52; Central Florida 25; South Florida 24; Mississippi 21; Virginia Tech 10; Oregon St. 9; Missouri St. 7; Massachusetts 7; Texas A&M 6; Mississippi State 3; Liberty 3; Nebraska 1; Kansas State 1; Gonzaga 1.

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Oklahoma’s Skylar Vann named Big 12 Women’s Basketball Player of the Week

Sophomore guard Skylar Vann earned Big 12 Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, averaging 21 points in wins over No. 14 Baylor and TCU.

Oklahoma sophomore Skylar Vann earned Big 12 Women’s Basketball Player of the Week honors after leading the Sooners to a pair of victories over No. 14 Baylor and TCU.

Vann averaged 21 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals in Oklahoma’s wins. The Edmond, Okla., native scored a team-high 22 points off the bench against Baylor to help propel OU to an 83-77 win over the Bears.

Vann connected on 8-of-13 field goal attempts versus Baylor, including 3-of-7 on 3-pointers. The 5-foot-11 guard also had seven rebounds, four steals, three blocks and three assists against the Bears. The win over No. 14 Baylor was the Sooners’ first win over the Bears since 2015 and the program’s first win over a top-15 opponent since 2017.

Vann followed up that breakout performance by notching 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting against TCU. She knocked down 2-of-5 from behind the 3-point arc and grabbed six more rebounds.

The Sooners topped TCU 100-71 on Saturday. It was the second-most points Oklahoma has ever scored in a Big 12 game. OU registered a 102-point outing against Colorado in 2001.

During the two wins, Vann shot 53.6 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent on three-point tries. She was also a perfect 7-of-7 from the free-throw line in the two games against Baylor and TCU.

Vann said she didn’t have the feeling before the Baylor game that anything was different about herself and that she was set for a big game against the Bears.

“No, not really. I was just coming to play and just have fun with my sisters. I mean, today just turned out to be a good day, but I feel like it wasn’t really just me. It was everyone. If you look at the stats, everyone had something to contribute tonight and that’s what got us this one,” Vann said after the Baylor win.

Oklahoma head women’s basketball coach Jennie Baranczyk feels Vann’s best play is still to come.

“I don’t think this was Skylar’s best game by any means. I think she had great moments, but I think we get to see her every day in practice and we get to see her compete all the time and so I think she has moments in a lot of games, but I think her best basketball is still ahead of her,” Barnczyk said of Vann’s play after the Baylor game.

With the win over TCU, Oklahoma improved to 15-2 overall (4-1 Big 12). The Sooners are now ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll, which is the program’s highest ranking since being ranked No. 12 on Nov. 28, 2016. OU’s nine-spot jump in the AP Poll is the largest in school history.

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11 things Oklahoma Sooners fans can be thankful for in 2021

It’s the season for giving thanks and the Oklahoma Sooners have a lot to be thankful for as they approach the traditional Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. It may not have all gone as planned, but it’s been an eventful year for the University of …

It’s the season for giving thanks and the Oklahoma Sooners have a lot to be thankful for as they approach the traditional Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday. It may not have all gone as planned, but it’s been an eventful year for the University of Oklahoma.

As Thanksgiving approaches and we reflect on what we have to be thankful for, we here at the Sooners Wire wanted to provide for you some of the things we’re thankful for as well.

This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list as that could go on and on, especially if we listed each individual player. It also isn’t in any particular order or ranking. The numerical value isn’t representative of a pecking order of things we’re thankful for.

So as you get ready to spend some quality time with your loved ones, we hope you enjoy our list of 11 things we think Sooners fans should be thankful for this year, and would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Oklahoma hiring Drake’s Jennie Baranczyk as new head women’s basketball coach

Oklahoma is hiring Drake’s Jennie Baranczyk as the new head coach of the Sooners women’s basketball.

A little over three weeks after long-time Oklahoma women’s basketball coach Sherri Coale announced her retirement, the Sooners have found her replacement.

Former Drake head coach Jennie Baranczyk was officially announced as the new leader of the program on Saturday in an official release.

At just 39 years old, Baranczyk built Drake into one of the very best programs in the Missouri Valley Conference, winning the league in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She was also named the coach of the year in the conference in both 2017 and 2018. She previously spent time at Kansas State, Marquette and Colorado as an assistant before taking over with the Bulldogs in 2012.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be named the next head coach for the University of Oklahoma’s women’s basketball program and follow the highly successful and much-admired Sherri Coale,” said Baranczyk in the release. “My coaching philosophy is based upon the most powerful human emotion to me and that is love. The players who put on this jersey must love the game, love to compete and love OU.

“We are going to compete at the highest level on the court and in the classroom. We will play hard, play together and be fun to watch. I’m looking forward to being at Oklahoma where there are amazing people and where we can โ€“ and will โ€“ compete for championships.”

As a player, Baranczyk (then by the name of Jennie Lillis) was one of the elite players in the history of the Iowa Hawkeyes. From 2000-2004, she was an all-Big Ten selection three times and graduated as the only player in program history inside the top 10 in all five categories of points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals.

Now, she takes over the helm for the legendary Coale to try and get Oklahoma women’s basketball back to prestige it once had. Athletic director Joe Castiglione released a statement on the new hire:

“This is a truly exciting day for our university and athletics department, as we welcome Jennie Baranczyk as our new head women’s basketball coach,” said Castiglione. “Her track record of overseeing creative and effective offenses, and producing high win totals, conference championships and postseason appearances during her time at Drake certainly appealed to our search committee as it evaluated the very competitive candidate pool. But her mastery of the head coaching role extends far beyond the court, and it’s clear that her personal and professional values align with ours.

“Jennie prioritizes the overall well-being of everyone in her program, is passionate about empowering her student-athletes and recognizes that a program is only as good as its people. She is family-oriented and community-minded, both of which will help her generate enthusiasm among our fans and as she works to return our program to Big 12 and national prominence. We are thrilled that she and her husband Scott and kids Eli, Jordi and Hope have joined the OU family, and we are so eager for their arrival in Norman.”

University of Oklahoma President Joseph Harroz Jr. also offered some words on the hire:

“We’re thrilled to have Coach Baranczyk join the Sooner Nation,” said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. “Her enthusiastic coaching style fits perfectly in our culture and her track record of excellence will serve our student-athletes and our program well into the future. The Baranczyks will make a wonderful addition to our OU family.”

An offseason of change for both Oklahoma basketball programs is starting to have both teams take more shape, as they now each have their new head coaches after Porter Moser was named the new leader of the men’s team a week ago.