Gathered in a circle in the middle of the floor, they discussed the day's work, said a prayer and left "The Jungle" only to slumber and return the next day more fierce and tenacious than before.
With excitement in the air and goals set high, the Lady Tigers are ready to embark on a new season, which they feel will be their best one yet.
Last season the Lady Tigers secured their 6th straight post-season tournament appearance with their second consecutive bid to the Women's National Invitational Tournament.
They ended the year with a number 55 ranking in the NCAA's Ranking Percentage Index after playing five teams that ended the year ranked in the top 25 in RPI.
The Lady Tigers also captured their 8th straight Lady Tiger Classic title with wins over Providence and Rice College.
At the end of the season, the Lady Tigers traveled to Europe and posted a 2-3 record against some of Europe's top teams.
Last year Yolanda Reed was a leader for the Lady Tigers and was named to the all C-USA third team along with Tiffany Collins. She also led the team in scoring against the University of Tennessee with 21 points.
Reed finished her career at Memphis last season. With her no longer a part of the team, a position remains wide open at the point guard spot and a big question is who will fill it?
"Tiffany Collins has the most experience at that position, but Danielle Barnard from Oak Ridge, Tenn. has shown some bright spots," said head coach Joye-Lee McNelis.
The Lady Tigers are very enthusiastic about getting the season started and senior Tiffany Adkins, who was just named Pre-Season Conference USA All-America can't wait for all of the excitement to begin.
"I'm excited. It's my last year I want to take in everything in and enjoy it, have a lot fun and most of all win," Adkins said.
Winning seems to be on the minds of more than just one Lady Tiger.
"My goals are that we win the C-USA and NCAA," said McNelis. "Depending on how our experienced players step up in the early going will determine our success."
The Lady Tigers are returning nine of the 10 top players from last year's team.
McNelis said Deanna Farr, Patrice Boyd, Shannon Hamp, Malissa Bush, Tiffany Collins, and Tiffany Adkins have made great strides and in order for the team to get better, they will have to elevate their game.
That elevation will be needed when the Lady Tigers face some tough opponents in the early part of the season.
They go up against the University of Arkansas Nov. 18 at the Pyramid followed closely by a matchup with the Mississippi State Bulldogs Nov. 21.
"Our schedule is quite challenging," McNelis said. "We will be battle-tested in the early going, but it should prepare us for C-USA play."
As far as her expectations for the year, junior forward Malissa Bush said she just wants to be a role player.
"I just want to play my role so that we can reach our goals," Bush said. "Our motto is to 'Raise the Bar,' so we are striving high."
Bush also mentioned what the team was planning to do to be successful.
"We have set high goals. We want to have more than 20 wins, win C-USA, win NCAA, be season and tournament champions," she said.
The trio of Danielle Barnard, Kaneshi Hart, and Princess Swilley are definitely welcomed additions to the team.
"They have met the expectations of the coaching staff and we are pleased with their progress," McNelis said. "They have really pushed the returning players."
Hart, standing at 6-foot-1 will fill a spot at center. During her final year at Logan County High School (Russellville, Ky.) she averaged 18.6 ppg and 9.3 rpg while leading her team to an 18-9 record and a district championship.
The 5-foot-8 Swilley put up 21 ppg her senior year at Hazlehurst High School (Hazlehurst, Miss.) and will play guard this season.
Barnard is an Oak Ridge, Tenn. native who scored a total of 329 points as a senior at Oak Ridge High School. Seventy-seven was a lucky number for Barnard during her final year. She recorded 77 assists and 77 forced steals and lead her team to a 35-4 record.
"We have really good chemistry," Bush said. "This is a special team and we are ready to play."
