When New Mexico State guard Keira Hudson found out the Aggies were picked to finish 10th in Conference USA this season, she sent a picture of the poll to coach Jody Adams.
“Put this on your phone,” Hudson texted to Adams.
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And so, she did. The poll is now on display on Adams’ lockscreen. She rolls her eyes every time she hears about it, but does admit it gives NM State the motivation it might need to take on the 2025-26 season.
“Obviously, there are some feelings behind it. They know that we finished fourth last year,” Adams said. “But they understand that there is work there and work ahead. I would say our players probably took it a little bit like, ‘Huh. OK.’ I don’t know what you wanna call it (or if the players) walk around with a chip on their shoulder so much, but I just really feel like we want to be the best that we can be.”
MORE AGGIES SPORTS: Takeaways from NMSU men’s basketball’s first win of the season against Adams State
The Aggies (0-1) have now entered their fourth year under Adams’ guidance, and opened the 2025-26 season with an 87-46 loss to No. 16 USC on Tuesday, Nov. 4, on the road. NM State finished 18-16 last season, earning a No. 4 seed in the CUSA Tournament and falling in the first round to Louisiana Tech before reaching the second round of the WNIT.
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Despite the prediction that the Aggies will regress from last season, Adams believes the opposite will happen. She says fan engagement and financial support is driving her optimism, and hopes that translates into a competitive team that proves the pollsters wrong.
“I really feel like we’ve grown in so many ways, from attendance to our booster donations, and we’re just so blessed to have that and have people dive into these young players’ lives in their journey with basketball,” Adams said. “I would say the growth there within the community, of us being out in the community and serving, has been really big.”
MORE AGGIES SPORTS: The problem with New Mexico State football’s offense is a little bit of everything
The five returners
Out of the Aggies’ five returners, only one is a returning starter. That’s guard Loes Rozing, and some of the other four are now being counted to start alongside her.
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Forward Lucía Yenes certainly made an impression against USC, leading all players in the game with a career-high 27 points on 11-for-19 shooting. Guard Imani Warren was the second-leading scorer with 11 points.
Both players look to be starters going forward and ones that Adams will count upon for scoring.
“The fact that Imani has grown and matured from having to be on the bench for two years… she’s an unbelievable athlete,” Adams said. “She’s just had to discipline herself into our system and use, but yet use that athleticism. You don’t want to box that up.
“I hope (Yenes) feels the confidence stepping out as a senior. She can face up. She can play with her back to the basket. She passes the ball as well as anybody, and she just comes with a big old toolbox.”
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Guard Anna Csenyi also started and logged 23 minutes against the Trojans. Forward Marta Guilera is coming off the bench for now.
Exciting freshmen
NM State has three freshmen on its roster, and one has already made a noticeable impression on Adams.
Hudson started against USC on Tuesday and played 22 minutes. The Australian native played three seasons of semi-professional basketball for the Hornsby Ku-ring-Gai Spiders in the NBL1 and qualified for the league’s national championship tournament twice.
“She’s played at the highest level in Australia,” Adams said. “She’s played against grown women and has learned a lot from those experiences. She’s just unbelievable to coach.”
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Hudson’s “unbelievable motor” impressed Adams over the offseason. She didn’t score against the Trojans, missing all five of her shot attempts, so she’ll look to bounce back in future games.
Adams also mentioned forward Senoj Jones, who scored over 1,000 points at Tyler Legacy High School in Texas, as a freshman she’s excited about.
Key newcomers include Las Cruces native
Guard Emma Cristiano was the only transfer NM State acquired from another collegiate program, as she arrived from New Mexico Highland in Division II.
Adams is pleased to have her. She regards Cristiano as an excellent passer who’ll keep the Aggies “in rhythm” coming off the bench. She also loves having a Las Cruces native on the roster. Cristiano scored over 1,000 points at Las Cruces High School and received District Player of the Year honors in 2022.
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“Emma just brings that personality,” Adams said. “Great leader, great human, big heart, loves New Mexico State. Being from here and being a hometown girl, no doubt, she’s a hometown hero for many little eyes to look upon and watch as a role model.”
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Motivated by bottom-3 CUSA pick, NMSU WBB hopes to prove it wrong
