AUSTIN, Texas — J.P. Perkins has always known how to make a defender hesitate. A change of pace, a shift of the shoulders, a subtle feint followed by a violent dribble to create an opening that seemed closed a moment earlier. For two seasons, St. Edward's point guard made a living freezing opponents in their tracks.

Last season, she had to learn how to wait.

An injury took J.P. out of the lineup and put her in the unfamiliar position of watching. The player accustomed to determining the next move had to let the game unfold without her.

"It taught me patience. Patience on the court and off the court as well," she says. "I'm always a go-go-go person, and I don't really give myself the chance to be calm. So last year definitely helped me learn patience."

Now, the redshirt junior returns to an almost entirely different team. SUNI DAVIS was brought in to work off J.P., but emerged as the primary playmaker in her absence. JAE'LA HICKS developed into an intriguing frontcourt option. RAMSEY ROBLEDO evolved from a floor-spacing transfer into a leader at the center of the team's culture.

Seven newcomers join six returners, giving the Hilltoppers depth, versatility, and possibilities to explore — provided they have the patience and trust to do it together.

"Obviously, on the court, still maybe trying to figure some stuff out. It's still early," head coach J.J. Riehl says. "But yeah, really impressed with our ability to get connected quickly and to establish that cohesiveness."

The most intriguing connection begins in the backcourt. J.P.'s dribble has long been the offense's opening argument, forcing her defender to surrender an angle, then making the next defender choose between helping and staying attached to an assignment. Her scoring and creation produced 828 points and 219 assists across two seasons.

Davis carried the weight of an opponent's scouting report last season, stepping into the unfamiliar role of running the offense. She averaged a career-high 13.1 points and 2.5 assists, earning all-conference recognition. In an early scrimmage this fall, both got their first extended glimpse of a defense with divided attention.

"We can both get to the basket anytime we need to. We're both really great playmakers," J.P. says. "I'm just excited to see how we swing the ball."

Their offseason improvements offer another layer of compatibility, with J.P. becoming more comfortable from three and Davis honing her midrange pull-up to work in pockets of space. Their partnership lets each attack the advantages the other creates, sharing responsibility for getting the offense moving and keeping it there.

"A lot of times in practice we're on opposite teams, so just seeing us gel and connect, and as well as other people, too," Davis says. "Duda is really great for us, and just having a really powerful post inside."

Iduzaye "Duda" Igiehon gives those guards an interior target with proven rebounding production. The 6-foot-1 sophomore recorded multiple double-digit rebounding games at Angelina College, adding another dimension to a frontcourt that has trended smaller and quicker.

Around that backcourt and interior anchor, the Hilltoppers can surround the ball with shooting, turn to other steady guards to initiate the offense, or stretch the floor with size.

Hicks connects those different looks. Her buy-in to the program's player development and strength and conditioning work unlocked athleticism to support an emerging, versatile skill set. The sophomore can play the middle and either forward position, giving Riehl flexibility to adjust around her.

That progress showed late last season. Hicks scored a season-high 16 points at Oklahoma Christian, then delivered 12 points and seven rebounds in the 42–41 win at St. Mary's, including a late driving basket through contact and the ensuing free throw.

Robledo supplied her own crucial answer that night, burying a late go-ahead 3-pointer against her former team. The senior returns with 59 appearances and 58 starts at St. Edward's, offering continuity amid the new faces.

The 5-foot-10 wing stretches defenses and contributes on the glass, averaging four rebounds last season. Her next step is punishing defenders who close hard to take away her shot.

"I've been working a lot with Khiani and different people just about being versatile on the floor," Robledo says. "Being able to get to the rim and also still being a shooting threat."


St. Edward's has guards who can spell J.P. and Davis off the bench, or play alongside them.

ADDIE MCCORMICK is a quick, shifty senior guard who's spent three years in the program. MARIAH HOUSTON arrives from Blinn with Region 14 all-region and all-conference recognition after averaging 9.8 points and four assists. She made five 3-pointers in separate victories over Connors State and Tyler, providing perimeter scoring alongside her playmaking experience.

Incarnate Word transfer IZZY MAJARUCON brings grit, shooting, and an intelligent floor game, with the ability to play on or off the ball. Her intended role is straightforward.

"Just vocal, lead wherever I can, facilitate mostly," Majarucon says. "Be the floor general, whatever Coach needs."

The international additions extend that versatility. Australian guard JASMINE MCKENZIE brings size and shooting to the perimeter, while 6-foot-2 compatriot HANNAH BRISKEY can pull an opposing post away from the basket or mix it up inside. Israeli wing NOA FELLER adds another wrinkle at 5-foot-11, putting the ball on the floor to attack defenders closing to contest her shot.

Feller brings Israeli youth national-team experience, while Briskey's background includes Basketball ACT's Premier 1 Women's Defensive Player of the Year award in 2023.

McKenzie sees those skills translating into shared opportunities.

"The best thing was that we were all playing through each other and we were getting excited for each other," McKenzie says of the scrimmage. "It wasn't just one person scoring on both teams."

Her approach fits, with a warning for defenders.

"I'm very much a team player. I get so much enjoyment out of seeing other people in the team succeed," McKenzie says. "And I also like to shoot the ball, so yeah, get a hand up."

More options demand communication and an understanding of when to create, move the ball, or let someone else take over. Building that trust began before practice.

Riehl created opportunities to connect over the summer, and returners helped newcomers find their place. Majarucon credited J.P. with welcoming her from her recruiting visit onward. McKenzie arrived already feeling acquainted with her teammates.

For Robledo, a former newcomer from St. Mary's, helping others through that transition is part of her senior responsibilities.

"Going into the season playing competition like that, you have to be focused, but you also have to be present," Robledo says. "So I'm going to make sure to be really present in the moment."

That investment carries meaning in Riehl's 15th season. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the 2016–17 Heartland Conference championship team, whose former players Khiani Clark and Shakera Barnes now coach the next generation.

"I think in order to establish tradition, you have to respect the contributions of the past," Riehl says.

The new group will begin establishing its own place when St. Edward's hosts North American University for Homecoming on Nov. 7 at 3 p.m. A demanding November follows, including home games against Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines before a trip to Utah to face Westminster and Cal Poly Humboldt.

Those early tests will begin answering questions about which combinations fit, how the newcomers' skills translate, and how the Hilltoppers respond when an opponent disrupts their plans.

"This crew has spent a lot of time dating back to last June at their connections and their relationships," Riehl says. "You have to put and build space for that to happen."

J.P. has spent a year waiting for the opportunity to explore those possibilities on the court. Now, she returns with more people to share them.
"I'm excited because we do have somebody who can score in every single position on the court," J.P. says. "Everybody can score, everybody can get a bucket."

If every possibility in the point guard's dribble once served as the opening argument for the Hilltopper offense, this team's depth and versatility could make for one hell of a closing statement.