East Central University women’s basketball coach Heather Hurt probably ordered an extra supply of bubble wrap ahead of her team’s season opener against Cameron at Aggie Gym.
The game is scheduled for Friday the 13th, which seems fitting considering the bad luck the Tigers have experienced during the preseason.
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Hurt said seven players have suffered injuries during recent practice sessions.
“It’s been tough. We’ve had some bad luck with all these injuries,” Hurt told The Ada News during the team’s Media Day last week at the Kerr Activities Center.
The trip to Lawton is part of the Oklahoma Women’s Basketball Challenge. After facing host Cameron on Friday night, the Tigers will take on Oklahoma Christian University on Saturday.
It remains unclear how many of ECU’s injured players will be sidelined for the opening two games. Hurt has also added some local help, although that pair might need a little more time to get up to speed.
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Former Vanoss standouts Livi Ellis and Zoey Cagle have joined the ECU program after successful high school careers under the direction of coach Jonathon Hurt, Heather’s husband. However, neither newcomer has had much time to work out with the team, and both likely won’t be ready to hit the court in Lawton.
Now entering her fourth season as ECU’s head coach, Hurt said her goals for the Tigers remain unchanged.
“My goals and expectations are that we get better every single year. We want to win more games and compete for a conference championship,” she said.
The Tigers enter the 2026-27 campaign looking to build on a 15-12 overall record. Last season, ECU earned the No. 7 seed in the Great American Conference Championship Tournament and nearly pulled off a stunning upset before falling 66-65 to Northwestern, which went on to capture the tournament championship.
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This year’s roster will feature a combination of experienced returners and a talented group of newcomers.
“We added a lot of new faces this season and with that, comes a lot of learning,” Hurt said. “I expect us to continue growing offensively and defensively as the season goes on. Strength-wise, we have more talent and athleticism than in recent years.”
ECU returns four players from last year’s squad, led by two-time All-GAC selection Katie Edelen.
The senior guard is again expected to be one of the Tigers’ leaders after a productive 2025-26 campaign. Edelen led ECU with 363 points, averaging 13.4 per game. She also paced the team with 187 rebounds (6.9 per game) and recorded a team-high 21 blocks.
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Natalie Milwood is another important piece of the returning core. After transferring to ECU from the University of Texas Permian Basin, the senior post player appeared in all 27 games last season and shot 49.2% from the field.
Milwood averaged 5.6 points per game but showed an ability to provide an offensive spark down the stretch, scoring 19, nine and 11 points in three of ECU’s final five contests.
East Central has just one other senior on the roster. Shiloh Fletcher, a 5-foot-5 guard, joined the Tigers after playing at Southern Arkansas University last season. She also had stints at Northern Oklahoma College-Enid and Oklahoma Christian.
Fletcher averaged 6.3 points per game with the Muleriders but finished strong, scoring a combined 43 points over Southern Arkansas’ final three games.
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In all, ECU added four freshmen and five transfers to its 2026-27 roster.
Despite the roster turnover, Hurt expects the Tigers to maintain their defensive identity. East Central ranked second in the GAC in scoring defense last season, allowing just 60.7 points per game.
“One key to our success is the ability to guard in the half-court. We were really good defensively last season,” Hurt said. “We pride ourselves on the defensive end. We are getting better every day and look to again be at the top of our league defensively.”
The Tigers were picked eighth in the 2026-27 GAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll.
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Harding received 10 first-place votes to claim the top spot, followed by Southeastern Oklahoma State and Southwestern Oklahoma State.
Northwestern Oklahoma State landed at No. 4, followed by Henderson State, Arkansas Tech, Southern Nazarene and East Central.
Rounding out the 12-team poll were Oklahoma Baptist, Southern Arkansas, Ouachita Baptist and Arkansas-Monticello.
Hurt agreed with the coaches’ assessment of the teams at the top of the rankings.
“Harding and Southeastern will be two tough teams to beat. They bring back a lot of returners and experience from last season,” she said.
For now, however, Hurt has more immediate concerns than preseason rankings or conference championship aspirations.
Her top priority is getting the Tigers healthy — and keeping them that way.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
