It’s extremely rare in this day and age of the women’s college basketball landscape, a player from a town with a population of 1,068 and a school size of under 150 high students can lead a power five Division I program.
That was a successful recipe for the legendary coach Marsha Sharp, who led the Texas Tech Lady Raiders to a 1993 national championship, and it’s been the model for current Lady Raider head coach Krista (Kirkland) Gerlich.
Gerlich, a Spearman graduate, was a big part of Sharp’s national title team in 1993 along with Brownfield’s Sheryl Swoopes. When Gerlich landed her first head coaching gig at West Texas A&M, she surrounded herself around local talent, and then carried that torch with the late, great Rebekah VanDijk of Nazareth during her stint at UT Arlington.
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Now, Gerlich is seeing a winning season that is built around another West Texas talent in Gruver graduate Bailey Maupin. Gruver superintendent Wade Callaway sent a text to Gerlich in 2018, making her aware of Maupin’s talent when she was in eighth grade, and the rest has been history.
“I definitely thought Bailey could be a program builder,” Gerlich said. “When you look at where she’s from, and how’s she’s built, those are the type of players you always want on your roster. Bailey is mentally tough, she’s a hard worker, and blue-collar. She is grateful for the opportunity and she’s proud to be from West Texas. She loves Lubbock, she loves playing at Texas Tech and we love those type of kids.”
It’s been a long road for Gerlich and Maupin over the last four years trying to get the Lady Raider mystique where the once proud program was in the 1990’s and the early 2000’s. This season, behind the Hansford County connection of Gerlich and Maupin, the Lady Raiders have seemed to turn that corner.
Texas Tech did suffer a 65-59 loss at home to Kansas State this past Saturday, but prior to that, Gerlich’s team opened the year 19-0 with a 6-0 mark in the Big 12. That was the best start for the Texas Tech women’s team since Gerlich was a senior on the 1993 team. It’s certainly the best start for a Gerlich team in six years in Lubbock.
Thanks to that start, fans are starting to pay attention and come back to the United Supermarkets Arena, with over 9,000 in attendance against Kansas State.
“It takes time,” Gerlich said. “When you’re hired during COVID and you’re inheriting a program that was coming the headlines of USA Today, it was in a really bad spot. We’ve had to clean up the program inside and out. We’ve made the postseason, it was the WNIT, and we made a run last year.
“We have players that returned like a Bailey (Maupin) along with the portal pieces and you’re seeing this program grow. It showed with the crowd we had Saturday. We want the fans to return and show them what Lady Raider basketball is all about.”
Maupin is the cornerstone of the growth of the Lady Raider program. She’s landed NIL deals during over her four years, she’s the poster child for the program, she was the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week and leads by example on the floor game in and game out.
A two-time UIL Class 2A state champion at Gruver, Maupin is now a senior leader and the heart and soul for Texas Tech. This season alone, Maupin has 18 double-digit scoring outings and recently moved into sixth all-time on the scoring list with 1,617 career points.
“It’s been a really fun season so far,” said Maupin, who has played in 123 career games for the Lady Raiders with 98 starts. “We have nine seniors on this team and we’re playing at a high level. It’s been amazing to see the work pay off and the improvement over the four years.”
Gerlich has been extremely proud to see the growth in Maupin since her arrival on campus.
“Bailey always steps up in the big moments,” said Gerlich, who is 96-85 in six seasons at Texas Tech. “She’s carried the load for us since she was a young player. Now as a senior, I think she has taken the bull by the horns. She is the leader of this team and we can count on her to always knock down the big shots. She’s had a lot of great moments, and she’ll have more great moments before her college career is over.”
In a day of the transfer portal, Texas Tech has always been Maupin’s home. When she signed her letter of intent in the Gruver foyer in front of her friends and family, she made a commitment and finishing a Lady Raider meant a great deal to her.
“This journey here at Texas Tech has been completely worth it,” Maupin said. “I’ve always wanted to be a Lady Raider and I love West Texas. It’s been a huge honor to play for this program and there is nowhere else I’d rather be. If I had any advice to someone, play where you love. It doesn’t matter where you’re from, as long as you’re happy and fulfilling your dreams.”
Gerlich echoed Maupin’s comment.
“Bailey loves West Texas, Lubbock, and Texas Tech,” Gerlich said. “You’ve seen her put in so many positions like point guard, and now you finally get some players in and you see what she can do when she is just playing her role. She is a special young lady and one that I’m honored to coach.”
Maupin’s dream is to lead the Lady Raiders to the NCAA Tournament while playing at an elite level. From her strong mid-range game to her improved perimeter shooting, Maupin is having her best season yet.
Through 20 games, Maupin, playing the two-guard, her natural position, is posting over 15 points a game, a team-best, shooting over 45 percent from the field.
“Having a point guard in Gemma Nunez has been huge,” Maupin said. “That has allowed me to play my natural position and make my job an easy one. I’ve been able to play my game, and so has the rest of the team. We have a lot of talent and we just want to continue to show how good we are.”
It also meant a lot to Maupin in four years to play in front of the type of crowd she got to play in front of last Saturday.
“It gave me chills,” Maupin said. “It was such a cool experience and we want the fans to continue to come back and support us. It was a great experience and something we want to see at every home game.”
