Katrina Merriweather enters her second season as head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats as the Bearcats are just two weeks away from their regular season opener vs UIC.

The Bearcats are coming off a season where they went 14-18 (5-13 Big 12) in year one under Merriweather which included a trip to the WNIT Tournament.

However, the Bearcats are quickly looking to turn some heads entering year two under Merriweather after being picked to finish 13th in the Big 12 Preseason coaches' poll.

What has Katrina Merriweather seen from here team so far this offseason?

"I have seen that we have been able to take better care of the ball. For those who watched us last year, they know that was our Achillies heal, and we had our reasons for a lot of turnovers. In example, injuries, playing people out of position, all of that."

Merriweather mentioned the addition of Texas A&M transfer Tineya Hylton and how she has been great with the ball in her hands this offseason. Merriweather, noted that with the addition of Hylton it will then allow A'riel Jackson to play more of her natural position of the two guard, which will allow her to get back to her natural position and that is as a scoring guard.

We heard a lot of praise for Hylton throughout the day from Merriweather and players about her presence and what she brings to the table.

Hylton spent the last two season at Texas A&M where she averaged 4.1 points and two assists, two rebounds per game as a sophomore. She was a part of the Aggies 2023-2024 NCAA Tournament team. Hylton, also provides veteran experience at the guard position, as Hylton also has played some of the best competition including as a member of the U23 Canada Nation Team where she earned silver medal during the 2023 Globl Jam.

"We went out and got the best point guard we thought that was available this offseason and that was Tineya."Merriweather told reporters. "Tineya brings that toughness and pace on both sides of the floor. She is able to run the team and facilitate at the point guard position. Having that allows Jillian and A'riel to be more effective on the wing and find ways to get to the rim and create for others."

However, bringing in a veteran point guard like Hylton will allow the Bearcats to play up tempo and find ways to get out and run. That is something they flashed at times last season, however, with a new roster between the back court tandem of Reagan Jackson, A'riel Jackson, Daylee Dunn, Hylton and Chloe Mann, it could be very interesting to watch.

Jillian Hayes returns for her fifth year and will lead the Bearcats front court.

Jillian Hayes led the team in scoring (13 points per game), rebounding (8 rebounds per game) and steals (2 per game) during her senior season. Hayes picked up All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors as she was lone Bearcat to earn conference recognition a season ago.

However, for Hayes, her decision to return to Cincinnati for her extra year of eligibility was a no brainer for her.

"My decision to return for my extra year, was simply because I have unfinished business," Hayes said. "There is nowhere else I wanted to be. I think Trina and this staff are building something very special here at Cincinnati,"

"For Jillian, I think she has accomplished a lot throughout her playing career. She has this desire to have accomplishments as a team and we saw that in the postseason last year." Merriweather said. "In her legacy, what Jillian really wants is a winning season. She wants another postseason run with this group. When she said she had unfinished business, that is what I heard as a coach. I hear her say, I need to be on a team that won games, and I admire her for that. There's not much left for her to accomplish individually on and off the court. So, for her to come back and use that fifth year and see how much it meant to her, means a lot to us coaches."

Who else is standing out for the Bearcats?

Katrina Merriweather made it clear they expect former four-star point guard Chloe Mann to come in and contribute right away this season for the Bearcats. The former four star prospect from Duncanville high School, in Dallas Texas has really shined throughout practices over the summer.

Merriweather noted that they have really liked what they have saw from her and Hylton alongside each other due to the relentless defensive abilities. However, Mann is able to contribute on the offensive side of things as well, as she is an elite scorer and score from all three levels. She does a fantastic job using her blazing track speed to get downhill and attack at the rim.

Merriweather told reporters she expects Mann to play 20 plus minutes a game as a true freshman. which, is exciting for Bearcats fans as there's a reason why this staff made her such a priority throughout her recruitment process.

Alliance Ndiba comes to Cincinnati after spending the last two seasons at Arizona Western at the JUCO level. However, she led the team in scoring (14 points per game) and rebounding (12 rebounds per game) during the 2023-2024 season.

She brings another big post presence in the paint to pair alongside Destiny Thomas and Hayes. That was something that Cincinnati really missed last season as Thomas missed time with injury throughout the season and Hayes was having to play more of the true five position at times.

Merriweather mentioned how Ndiba has really challenged Hayes there in terms of rebounding. Which, that is a great thing to hear, Merriweather prides her team on rebounding and has made it clear that will be this team's identity heading into the 2024-2025 season.

The Bearcats season will officially kick off on November 5th when they travel to Chicago to take on UIC. However, in the meantime, the program will host their annual fanfest this Saturday at 1pm, then will host Thomas More for their exhibition scrimmage on Sunday.