When the Oklahoma Sooners stepped onto the court against the Florida State Seminoles, they knew it wouldn’t be an easy battle. Florida State had been averaging 22.4 points more than what the Sooners typically allow. But Oklahoma stayed locked in, and by the final buzzer, they walked away with a 109–91 victory, pushing their season record to 7–1. But the win wasn’t the only headline of the night.

With that result, Oklahoma captured the GEICO Coconut Hoops Classic championship, the first in-season tournament title of the Jennie Baranczyk era. It was also the program’s first non-conference tournament championship since 2015, and most importantly, it marked Coach Jennie’s 300th career win. 

Baranczyk, now in her fifth season as the program’s ninth head coach, has already led Oklahoma through four of its most successful years. She restored national relevance to the program, sending the Sooners to four straight NCAA tournaments. Her resume is impressive – but this time, the cherry on top came from her freshman guard.

It all came after HC’s pregame motivation to Chavez. As a result of encouragement, the former No. 1 recruit finally looked like the player she was projected to be. And honestly, she needed the lift, especially after her two rough outings to start the season.

She had scored 16 points vs. Belmont, but shot just 5-for-18. Even against UCLA, she managed 11 points, shooting 4-for-16, including a combined 2-for-13 from deep across both games. Her struggles were understandable, though.

“The physicality – opponents are a lot stronger,” Chavez said. “They’ve been playing basketball for a long time.” But, before facing Florida State, Coach Baranczyk encouraged her not to hesitate and to keep shooting. “I just don’t think she’s been playing terrible basketball,” Baranczyk said. “When the first one goes in and she starts to feel good, you can see her relax.”

She took that message to heart, “It’s time to play basketball now,” she said. And right after that, she delivered.

She opened the game on fire, scoring eight points in the first three minutes against KC. By the end, she finished with 29 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two blocks – the fourth-highest single-game total by an OU freshman. She shot 9-for-13 from the field and a blistering 7-for-10 from three, tying the second-most threes by a freshman in program history. She now trails only former Sooner guard Danielle Robinson.

Chavez matched that scoring mark against FSU, adding two rebounds, six assists, a block, and a steal. Her 29 points tied her career high and now rank as the ninth-most by an OU freshman in a single game. She’s also the first OU freshman since 2021 to post at least 29 points, seven threes, and six assists in one outing.

But even after the big win, Baranczyk wants more!

While pleased with the team’s performance, she still believes her star freshman hasn’t shown her full potential. And that’s fair, as Chavez entered college as the No. 1 player nationally according to 247Sports, USA Today, and Prospects Nation. 

She was even the 2025 Gatorade National Player of the Year, 2025 Naismith Prep Player of the Year, and a McDonald’s All-American. But the head coach’s expectations came from her high school résumé. That’s because she delivered 4,796 points, 1,279 rebounds, 771 assists, 476 steals, and 636 threes in 150 games, including nine 50-point games. 

She had offers from South Carolina, Texas, UCLA, LSU, Texas Tech, and more – but she chose Oklahoma. Now, Coach Jennie is waiting for her to get fully comfortable because that alone could elevate the Sooners into a complete powerhouse. The head coach knows the roster is young. She knows they’ll need every ounce of energy and consistency the group can provide.

“We’re going to need more,” Baranczyk said. “I mean that with complete and utter confidence in them. I’m not going to be easy on them.”

Oklahoma’s only loss this season came against a highly ranked UCLA team. Since then, they’ve been on a six-game win streak, scoring 100-plus points in each of their last three games. Next up is NC State. Will Coach Jennie get the consistency she’s looking for?