Amira Mabry, a Tulane University junior from Judson High School, is one of at least 25 San Antonio-area athletes on NCAA Division I women’s basketball rosters. She averaged 11.4 points and six rebounds last year for the Green Wave. – File photo by Joe Alexander
By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
On the eve of a new season starting Monday, I’m sorting through NCAA Division I women’s college basketball rosters, and I’m detecting a wave of talent from the San Antonio area — at least 25 players who grew up in this area — now playing at the highest level.
There are many more local athletes in Division II and Division III programs.
But the influx of players from the local area in Division I women’s college hoops is undeniable. Nine of the players are competing in high major programs, in the so-called power conferences, according to my annual research project.
Of those nine, the most accomplished returning to the college game this season would include Deja Kelly at Oregon, Sahara Jones at Texas A&M, Aaliyah Roberson (TCU) and Carleigh Wenzel (Virginia Tech).
Sidney Love, a UTSA junior from Steele High School, is one of five players on the Roadrunners’ roster from the San Antonio area. Love has started for UTSA coach Karen Aston since she was a freshman. – File photo by Joe Alexander
In high school, Kelly played briefly at Johnson before moving on to Duncanville. Jones came out of Veterans Memorial while Roberson prepped at Clark and Wenzel at both O’Connor and Antonian.
Kelly is turning the page on her career this season, playing for the Ducks after four seasons as a key member of the North Carolina Tar Heels. At Carolina, she bagged three straight, first-team, all-conference honors.
Jones, meanwhile, is returning for a fifth season with the Aggies. In the past two seasons, she has played 55 games and started 51, including 32 starts last year.
Roberson, whose younger sister Arianna is highly-touted freshman at Duke, sitting out the season with a knee injury, has quietly started to build an impressive record with the Horned Frogs.
Last season, as a sophomore, she averaged a career-high 10.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks and started at center for the team’s final 17 games.
Wenzel, meanwhile, established herself at Virginia Tech, playing 33 games as a redshirt freshman and coming on strong in the NCAA tournament. In an NCAA first-round victory, she came off the bench to produce 12 points, seven assists, six rebounds and two blocks.
A strong class of freshman includes Duke’s Arianna Roberson (from Clark), Southern Cal’s Rian Forrestier (Brandeis), along with the UTSA duo of Taylor Ross (Brennan) and Mia Hammonds (Steele).
Arianna Roberson will miss the upcoming season after sustaining a knee injury while competing at the 2024 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary, according to an announcement by Duke athletics on Sept. 5. Roberson arrived at Duke as a five-star recruit and the 19th-rated prospect in the 2024 class.
Locally, UTSA has tapped into the local talent base with five players from the San Antonio area, which is believed to be the most of any team in the nation. The five include Sidney Love (Steele), Alexis Parker (Brandeis), Aysia Proctor (Clemens), Hammonds and Ross.
Note: Here’s my list. It’s likely not complete. But, it’s just my best attempt to keep track of the city’s best players that have gone off to college. I’ll update it as soon as any new information comes to light.
San Antonio area athletes in NCAA Division I
Women’s basketball
Averi Aaron, Louisiana Tech, 6-1 freshman forward from Boerne
Hailey Adams, Rice, 6-1 redshirt sophomore guard from Clark
Kendall Beck, Houston Baptist, 6-2 freshman forward from San Marcos Panthers home school (hometown San Antonio)
Myra Bell, Incarnate Word, 5-10 grad student guard from Taft
Rian Forestier, Southern Cal, 5-11 freshman guard from Brandeis
Jaylin Foster, Texas State, 6-0 senior forward from Steele
Mia Hammonds, UTSA, 6-3 freshman guard from Steele
Natalie Huff, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 5-7 freshman guard from Clark
Christeen Iwuala, Ole Miss, 6-3 junior forward from Reagan; transfer from UCLA
Vivian Iwuchukwu, Southern Cal, 6-3 freshman forward from Cole, also Montverde, Fla.
Sahara Jones, Texas A&M, 6-0 grad student guard from Veterans Memorial
Ja’Shelle Johnson, UT Rio Grande Valley, 5-4 sophomore guard from Johnson
Deja Kelly, Oregon, 5-8 grad student guard from Johnson, Duncanville; transfer from North Carolina
Sidney Love, UTSA, 5-8 junior guard from Steele
Amira Mabry, Tulane, 6-0 junior forward from Judson
Bird Martin, Texas Tech, 6-2 freshman guard from Providence
Alexis Parker, UTSA, 5-9 junior guard from Brandeis
Faith Phillips, UT Rio Grande Valley, 5-11 guard from San Marcos; transfer from St. Mary’s
Brenna Perez, Incarnate Word, 6-0 grad student forward from Veterans Memorial
Aysia Proctor, UTSA, 5-8 sophomore guard from Clemens
Arianna Roberson, Duke, 6-4 freshman center from Clark
Aaliyah Roberson, TCU, 6-2 junior forward from Clark
Taylor Ross, UTSA, 6-0 freshman forward from Brennan
Tiffany Tullis, Houston Christian, 5-11 senior forward from Cornerstone; transfer from Texas State, also Blinn JC
Sammie Wagner, Oregon, 6-1 redshirt sophomore guard-forward from Reagan
Carleigh Wenzel, Virginia Tech, 6-0 redshirt sophomore guard from O’Connor and Antonian