JOURNAL SPORTS
HAMMOND — The Centenary women’s basketball program aims for a rebuild under new coach Rennie Bailey, a veteran men’s college assistant and Minden native who will lead the Ladies into 25 regular-season games and exhibition contest today at 11 in a visit to Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana.
The Ladies begin their regular season on Friday at 7 against East Texas Baptist in the Gold Dome.
Centenary will face Jarvis Christian at home next Monday at 6 o’clock and then hit the road for a pair of non-conference contests against Mississippi University for Women on Nov. 13 and Millsaps College the next night.
The Ladies are scheduled to play 11 home games, 14 road games, and 16 conference contests – nine on the road and seven at home. The Maroon and White will open Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play at LeTourneau University on Dec. 2 in Longview, Texas. Centenary’s first league game at home is set Jan. 2 against LeTourneau.
Centenary’s final home game will be on Saturday, Feb. 14 against the University of the Ozarks and the Ladies will finish the regular season on the road at Colorado College and the University of St. Thomas.
“The ladies have been very receptive and positive to the coaching change,” said Bailey. “Their buy-in into the system has been positive up to now – and that is helping to build a culture and attitude. We will hang our hat on the defensive end of the floor this season.”
Bailey comes to Centenary from Southern University in Baton Rouge, where he served as an assistant on the men’s staff for the last two seasons and helped the Jaguars win the 2025 SWAC regular season championship.
The former Louisiana Tech standout has over 30 years of experience at the college and high school level. He replaces former head coach Paul Reed, who guided the Ladies the last three seasons.
Centenary was picked to finish 12th in the conference this season in the SCAC preseason poll. The top six teams in the conference will qualify for the SCAC Women’s Basketball Tournament, which will be held February 27 through March 1 and hosted by Hendrix College in Conway, Ark. The winner of that event will earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.