DENTON, Texas — This season, the Texas Woman's University basketball team has made history, with their best season to date and their first trip ever to the Division II Final Four as a result. They've also been having the success with two East Texans on their team.
Sophomore guard Jada Celsur was a 2019 state champion at Martin's Mill, making a name for herself as one of the top guards in the region. She committed to the Pioneers out of Ben Wheeler and is in her second season with the team. She's one of the leaders of the team both on and off the court, making numerous contributions to their historic season.
She's joined in her East Texas roots by assistant coach Conner Gurley, a graduate of Bullard High School. Gurley played basketball at Bullard before realizing his future was in coaching basketball. He has been a part of the Texas Woman's University coaching staff since 2021 after spending four years on the staff at Angelo State University.
"I started off as a manager at Blinn Junior College thanks to my brother Brennon. From there it just kind of sped into things," Gurley said. "Fast forward, and I'm here at Texas Woman's and competing for a possible national championship."
From a coaching standpoint, Gurley also sees the value that Celsur brings to the court for the Pioneers. In fact, he saw it right out of high school too, coming from a prestigious program such as Martin's Mill.
"She's our floor general. We knew from the get-go that she was really special. We saw her putting up big numbers in high school, but college is a different animal," Gurley said. "But right when she walked in those doors at TWU, we knew we had something special."
It certainly helps coming from a program like Martin's Mill. However, the talent that Celsur exhibited during her high school career was one of a kind. She was three-time all-region and three-time All-State. She also played in two state championship games, winning one in 2019. In addition, she won MVP of that state tournament.
Long story short, Celsur was well prepared to hit the collegiate level, and she's fit right in with her Pioneer squad.
"I'm grateful where I'm at and the team I've been placed on in both high school and college. It's very rare to have such an amazing college experience, especially nowadays," Celsur said. "But my time in high school has helped me be the kind of player I am today. It also helps a lot how much my team trusts me on the court and helps build that confidence that I have in myself."
Next up will be the pinnacle of everything they've been working for all year long. They'll take on Ferris State on Wednesday evening in the Final Four with a trip to the national championship on the line. A lot of work and dedication has gone into this historic season they've been having. However, both Celsur and Gurley would be more than elated to bring that championship trophy back home.
"It's definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity. We are so thankful for where we're at and how this season has gone," Celsur said. "It would just definitely be a once in a lifetime opportunity for our team, Denton, and TWU in general."
Note: Conner Gurley is the brother of CBS19 anchor Brennon Gurley.