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UNLV head coach Lindy La Rocque has built the Lady Rebels into one of the nation’s most consistent mid-major programs, with four straight Mountain West regular-season titles, three tournament championships, and NCAA appearances in 3 of the last 4 seasons.
Now, in her sixth year, she’s leading a roster that looks different but is built around the same foundation.
“For me it’s championship,” La Rocque said. “It starts with me at the top.. how I work, how I prepare, and how I approach each day. It really just comes back to: does this help us win a championship? Actions, thoughts, words…. from top to bottom.”
The Lady Rebels return just five players from last year’s 26-8 team, including graduate guard Aaliyah Alexander, the lone returning starter, and sophomore forward Meadow Roland, the Mountain West Freshman and Sixth Player of the Year.
Around them is a new mix of nine newcomers, led by graduate transfers Destiny Leo (Cleveland State) and Destiny Brown (Mississippi Valley State).
“Destiny [Brown] was the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year, she’s a rim protector and she blocks everything flat-footed,” La Rocque said. “We’ve challenged her to be a finisher and a scorer. And Destiny [Leo] is a tremendous three-point shooter who stretches the floor right away.”
Teaching and Timing
With nearly an entirely new roster, La Rocque and her staff have spent the preseason teaching and reinforcing core principles rather than overloading.
“For the first time since I’ve been a head coach, our newcomers are the majority,” La Rocque said. “We’ve really tried to be detailed in our teaching to help everyone get up to speed.”
The Lady Rebels’ offensive philosophy remains the same: attack early, execute in the half-court, and adapt late, but the pace of implementation is more deliberate.
“We want to have everything in, but we also want to be good at the things that we have in,” she said. “We’re adding new things up until Christmas, but we almost have to go a little slower to get good at what we want to be good at first.”
Defense Still Defines It
UNLV’s dominance has always stemmed from defense, rebounding, and discipline. La Rocque says those traits remain non-negotiable.
“Our defensive philosophy is to take away a team’s favorite things,” she said. “We’re really scouting-report driven. I never want to get out of position defensively. I want to make opponents go to their second or third option, not their first.”
That structure will be tested immediately against an experienced, veteran opponent.
Scouting Southern Nazarene
The Crimson Storm enters the season as a Division II powerhouse under head coach Trent May, who begins his eighth season in Bethany, Oklahoma.
SNU is the three-time defending Great American Conference regular-season champion, coming off a 23-8 campaign and its third straight NCAA Central Region Tournament appearance.
May, a former Grand Canyon head coach and eight-time Conference Coach of the Year, has compiled 415 career wins across 21 seasons. His Crimson Storm squads are known for their discipline, rebounding, and execution.
“They’re experienced and well-coached,” La Rocque said. “They move the ball, they shoot it, and they’ll make us guard multiple actions. It’s exactly what you want in an exhibition… a team that forces communication and discipline.”
This year’s SNU roster features a blend of veterans and international players:
Carley Gasaway and Boston Berry anchor the backcourt.
Kezia Grant-Bobb (Canada) and Hannah Duncan (Australia) bring size and rebounding.
Lexi Mackey and Silvia Otokhagua add versatility and shooting from the wings.
The Crimson Storm ranked among GAC leaders in defensive field-goal percentage and rebounding margin last season, two key categories La Rocque has built her program around.
Focus Points
Frontcourt Control: Roland and Brown vs. SNU’s twin forwards inside.
Backcourt Chemistry: Alexander and Leo dictating rhythm, spacing, and tempo.
Defensive Voice: Communicating through screens and rotations early.
Bench Impact: Early looks for new contributors like Mariah Elohim and Shelbee Brown.
Execution Over Result: Measuring habits and decision-making, not the score.
“These games are dress rehearsals,” La Rocque said. “You want to see how your players respond to the lights, to refs, to pressure. It’s about reactions and habits — not the scoreboard.”
The Bottom Line
This isn’t about the opponent as much as it’s about reestablishing identity. UNLV’s expectations haven’t changed; the method looks different.
“We can’t win championships in October,” La Rocque said. “But we can start building the habits that win them later.”
Different roster. Same standard. The next chapter of UNLV women’s basketball starts tonight inside The Pavilion.
Your career will thank you.
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