Inside Jennie Baranczyk's pursuit of OU women's basketball selling out Lloyd Noble Center

NORMAN — When Jennie Baranczyk arrived in Norman as Oklahoma’s coach in April of 2021, the once-proud women’s basketball program felt hollow. The Sooners hadn’t reached the NCAA Tournament in three seasons. Crowds that once made Lloyd Noble Center one of the sport’s most intimidating stops had thinned. Even the foundation built by legendary coach Sherri Coale no longer translated to packed stands. Baranczyk, then 39 and fresh from Drake, knew the rebuild would require more than wins. It would require belief — and people. In her earliest pregame routines, she’d look into the stands and recognize the same dozen season-ticket holders. She knew them by name. She appreciated them. But she wanted...