Wichita State women’s newcomers are unknown – but not for long

Right now, Diamond Lockhart and Rangie Bessard are enjoying their anonymity.

They have never played a game for the Wichita State women’s basketball team after transferring to WSU last season and sitting out. There is not tape or a scouting report on these two – yet.

Lockhart, a sophomore, is expected to start at guard right away, while Bessard, a 6-foot freshman, will start at forward when she becomes eligible after the first semester.

If you believe the stories of what these two did last year in practice against last season’s starters, who carried WSU to its third straight MVC title and NCAA appearance, then Lockhart and Bessard are the two that can lead Wichita State to a dynasty.

The anonymity won’t last long.

“We have some heat coming,” junior Jaleesa Chapel said. “People need to be prepared because they’re going to bring it.”

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When Bessard decided to leave Minnesota and choose Wichita State as her landing spot, her fate would become intertwined with Lockhart, who transferred to WSU before the season when the coaching staff at Texas Tech that recruited her left.

They were assigned as roommates and their bond grew. They went through the same experience, the same struggles, and the same anxiety of returning to playing competitive basketball again.

“We thought about what we could have done to help last year,” Bessard said. “But everything happens for a reason and that just brought us closer together.”

Since they couldn’t play in games, Bessard and Lockhart became film junkies. They watched tape of the current players and imagined themselves in the roles they would some day play.

“I would watch Kelsey (Jacobs) and Dap (Michaela Dapprich) and see what they would do and the rotations they would make,” Bessard said. “You compare your game to their game and think about what you could do in that situation.”

They both said they learned more not playing the game they love than when they were playing every day. And that’s something that they are both taking with them into this season.

“It was tough, but I think taking a year off was really good for me because it was such a good learning experience,” Lockhart said. “It helped grow my game. I learned what kind of point guard coach Jody is looking for.”

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It was difficult for anyone who practiced with Wichita State last season not to imagine what that team could have accomplished with Bessard and Lockhart eligible.

Lockhart almost certainly would have been the team’s starting point guard, allowing Alex Harden to work primarily off the ball, which would have freed up the offense. Bessard also would have factored into the rotation on a team desperate for depth.

It made Adams begin to think if a team like that could be built at WSU, a team that could not just make the NCAA Tournament but compete in it.

“It would have been a very special team,” Adams said. “Going forward, how can we keep something that? It’s going to take years to build something like that, but I really like where we’re at right now.”

Playing on the scout team together, Bessard and Lockhart have a natural connection now. They didn’t mesh right away, but the two learned how the other one thinks and reacts to certain things on the court.

They even have a goal for themselves this season after they were both voted as team captains.

“We’re thinking we kind of be like a CP3-Blake Griffin type of duo,” Bessard joked. “That’s what we’re working on right now.”

While there may not be as many alley-oop dunks, the point is that Bessard and Lockhart could be a duo that Wichita State can build around for years to come.

“When you have a team that has the time to grow together that’s when you get your championship teams,” Adams said. “That takes great leadership and that takes maturity and that’s when you see your championship team evolve and that’s what’s happening with us.”

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No one knows what to expect this season from Wichita State, let alone Bessard and Lockhart. There are so many unknowns to outsiders that it’s difficult to project whether or not the Shockers can remain contenders.

But this group holds itself to another standard.

“We owe it to Alex and all of the players that have come before us that built this thing,” Bessard said. “Right now we’re grinding for a four-peat. We grind for ourselves, we grind for our team, we grind for our coaching staff and fans, and we’re grinding to shock the world this year.”

Bessard and Lockhart like that no one knows about them right now, they actually prefer it that way.

“We definitely want to keep the legacy going, but we want to write our own chapter as well,” Lockhart said. “It’s a new team and new adventures, but I kind of like that people don’t really know us and are unsure of what we can do. It only motivates us even more.”

Unknowns don’t exist in the world of Adams, who doesn’t view this season the same as outsiders. Her expectations haven’t changed at all.

It’s a championship-or-bust season once again for WSU.

“I don’t look at any other direction than winning a championship with this team,” Adams said. “And I won’t let this team think any other way but that way. They realize what they’re walking into and what Alex Harden has built with multiple championships. I don’t think anyone wants to let someone like her down.”

This story was originally published November 5, 2015 at 7:02 AM with the headline "Wichita State women’s newcomers are unknown – but not for long."