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2024-25 Cypress Springs Girls Basketball
BEST IN THE BUSINESS: Cypress Springs has sights on State as VYPE's No. 1
1 — CYPRESS SPRINGS PANTHERS
There is no sugar-coating this: Cypress Springs is a heavy favorite to make it to the Alamodome from H-Town.
The Panthers are led by five-star and No. 20 nationally-ranked prospect Ayla McDowell, who is a two-time District MVP
and All-Region selection.
The South Carolina-commit is the highest-ranked Houston-area prospect for the Class of 2025 in the espnW HoopGurlz rankings.
The next big star rising in the hoop ranks also resides at Cypress Springs in Jemini Mitchell, who is ranked 14th in the espnW Class of 2027 rankings. Mitchell is already a five-star athlete who was the District 16-6A Newcomer of the Year last season.
Other players to watch include Prairie View A&M-commit Margan Allen and first-team, all-district pick Melanie Hodges.
This team went 30-3 a year ago and reached the Regional Semifinals and 11th-year coach Taneisha Rogers is ready for them to make a run to the Dome.
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Cy Springs' Jemini Mitchell
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Nationally-recognized Mitchell continues to make name for herself
IT TOOK NO TIME AT ALL FOR AUDIENCES TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE NAME JEMINI MITCHELL.
Standing at 6-foot-2, Cy Springs’ newest star made one the most utterly dominant freshman debuts that the state has seen, having scored 538 points, with 219 rebounds, 70 assists and a team-leading 46 blocks.
This would obviously result in a District 16-6A Newcomer of the Year selection, but she’s much more than just a big body.
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“Most people might lean more towards their shooting ability, which I do think I’m skilled in that area,” said Mitchell. “But, I like to think that my greatest strength relates to my versatility as a player. Sure, I have the size, but I’m able to play inside and outside the paint and I feel that my defense has gotten better over the years.”
Entering her sophomore year, Mitchell is listed as a five-star recruit who’s the No. 1 ranked player in Texas and No. 13 in the nation in the Class of 2027.
That instantaneous level of success, coupled with her growing confidence, could arguably be attributed to the landscape she’s developed her game in.
“Being in this program has really allowed me to grow as a person, even though I’m only entering my second year,” she said. “On and off the court, I feel like my coaches and teammates push me to be better. You have to mature at a rapid pace in order to compete at this level, which is something that really sticks with me.”
Teamwise, the Panthers enjoyed yet another tremendous season this past winter, going 30-3 overall, which included an undefeated district title. They reached the UIL Class 6A Region II Semifinals.
However, they were ultimately thwarted by the eventual State Champs Duncanville, in a tight 48-40 defeat, clearly fueling them for this season.
“I don’t want to go back into the locker room like we did last year,” Mitchell said. “I hated the feeling after what happened in Round 4. If we want to improve on last year’s result, we need to take everything seriously, whether it be in practice or the classroom. There’s some unfinished business here, so it’s going to be about going hard every rep, and doing what we need to do.”
Given the unquestionable talent returning for coach Taneisha Rogers in 2024 – particularly Mitchell and South Carolina-commit Ayla McDowell – it’s likely that the vision they’ve set for themselves might very well come to fruition.
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