Texas Tech University Athletics
The Little Engine: Japreece Dean
January 22, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2016
By: Blake Zimmerman
Texas Tech Athletic Communications
Being a freshman point guard in the nation's best women's basketball conference is no small task, but it's one Japreece Dean has embraced.
"When I play against better competition, I feel like I play better," Dean said. "I got used to playing against the top players in the country in high school, and that's who I'm going against in the Big 12. I just try to focus on playing my game and to not get nervous."
If Dean ever gets nervous, it doesn't really show, specifically in end-of-clock situations, where she has already drilled three buzzer-beating shots this season, most recently a running, banked-in three pointer at TCU.
Dean primarily came off the bench in the first few games, providing an offensive spark for the Lady Raiders. When she got her shot against Idaho, who was receiving votes in the AP poll at the time, she didn't miss her mark.
In her first start as a Lady Raider, Dean took over in the fourth quarter. She scored 11 of her career-high 23 points in the final frame, including hitting three of her four threes in that period. Dean had not made a three-pointer this season entering that game. The Lady Raiders walked off the court with an impressive 78-62 win.
Since that first start, the Cedar Park, Texas, native is averaging 14 points per game for the Lady Raiders, including four 20-point outbursts, highlighted by a 21-point performance at No. 5 Texas, in front of an excited group of friends and family.
Dean said her adjustment has been helped along by her relationship with Lady Raider head coach Candi Whitaker.
"I was really nervous at the beginning of the season," Dean said. "After that I started to adapt and get used to everything. I understood what [Coach Whitaker] wanted me to do--play harder, lead and talk, so that's what I tried to do, and I earned the spot."
WATCH: Highlights from @LadyRaiderWBB's 10th win of the season - https://t.co/Mtk4ijSvp1 #WreckEm
-- TexasTechTV (@TexasTechTV) January 17, 2016
This season, when there are less than three minutes to go and the lead is single digits on either side, Dean is 6-8 from the free throw line, which is dead-even with her percentage from the charity stripe overall.
Whitaker said Dean's desire to win is always there and is even more evident in clutch situations like that, which separates her as a player. As a former Lady Raider point guard herself, Whitaker is able to connect with Dean.
"She has a burning desire to be great, and that's what fuels her," Whitaker said. "She is always working to be the best she can be. She wants to learn so much about the game, take in as much information as possible and continue to grow, which I love. Because of that, we have been able to build that connection."
Dean reciprocates Whitaker's feelings about their coach-player relationship, citing her as the main reason she decided to come play in Lubbock.
"Her passion, her drive and will to win were a big factor," Dean said of Whitaker. "Then, the team and where it's going. Those were what mattered the most."
Dean hasn't just left a mark on the coaching staff. Her presence and level of play has resonated with the team as a whole. Senior Jamie Roe said dean is unlike any other freshman she has been around.
"I know I've been in the gym more because of her," Roe said. "I know she has been getting other players in the gym, too. I'm excited to see how she grows. She is a very young leader, and I think that's hard to find in a freshman."
She is no ordinary freshman.
.@japreece24 is Texas Tech's first four-time #Big12WBB Freshman of the Week! https://t.co/1PJjztwXUD #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/odzv7YoILd
-- Lady Raider WBB (@LadyRaiderWBB) January 18, 2016
