Length and youth provide challenges and hope for Gillette College women's basketball team
All 11 players on the Gillette College women’s basketball team have one important thing in common: None of them has any college experience.
BY DAVID RODISH GILLETTE NEWS RECORD SPORTS EDITOR
All 11 players on the Gillette College women's basketball team have one important thing in common: None of them has any college experience.
The 2023-24 roster are all freshmen, which provides unique challenges for the team and for coach Liz Lewis. But the experience, or lack thereof, has allowed the Pronghorns to bond and grow as a team.
"We've got a really good group this year," Lewis said. "They're coming together really well just in time for us to start the season."
Length and athleticism
The Pronghorns have a lot of guards on the team this year, but the team won't have as much of an issue having them match up against bigger and taller players because of the athleticism and length of the backcourt.
Six of the nine guards on the roster are over 5-foot-8. Although some of those players might spend some minutes at one of the forward spots, the guards have length along their depth.
The length helps the team both in their shooting and defense. As the Pronghorns get used to their teammates and new defensive system, they can afford to make a few more mistakes and still make a play.
Learning it all together
Being a team of all freshman was a challenge — particularly at the start. Every other Gillette College team that came back this season had at least one transfer that could provide leadership and experience for what the college athletics life is like.
For the women's basketball team, they know only as much as the next player on the roster.
"The college level, the intensity and things like that is definitely something that has been a learning curve for the team," Lewis said.
It comes with both good and bad for the Pronghorns. The first few games in the schedule will be a real eye-opener for the team, both in what they're capable of and what they need to do to compete at the next level.
But the lack of college experience has forced some of the players to step up as leaders. Guard Abby Leahy said that after the first few practices, the team noticed that they all needed to step up for themselves and each other.
For being all freshmen, the Pronghorns have practice tendencies of a much older team. Guard Alyssa Beckford said the team's communication has been a strong point, which is something that younger teams often struggle with.
All around the world
Not only have the Pronghorns had to get used to their new team, new coaches and new college lives, but most of them are getting used to the country for the first time.
Only three Pronghorns are from the United States. Guard Kyla Stremcha, who graduated in May from Thunder Basin, is the only player from Wyoming. Leahy is from Colorado Springs, Colorado and Dasani Nesbit is from Froid, Montana. The rest of the roster had to have a passport to make it for move-in day at Gillette College.
Two are from Canada: Beckford and guard Jade Johnson. Spain has two players: Andrea Martin comes from Madrid while Janina Vergara comes from Barcelona. Marija Marinkovic came to Gillette from Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. Malena Edwards comes from Melbourne, Australia, while two other Pronghorns, Allyah Leusogi-Ape and Qaizden Stephan, are both from Auckland, New Zealand.
With the wide blend of background and cultures, most members of the team can bond over the experience of living in America for the first time — even if their countries are pretty similar to the United States.
Toughness
As the season draws closer, intensity all throughout the team has increased. The training is tougher and practices are much more intense with players flying around and even ending up on the ground to make a play.
"The weight room has been a big focus and the conditioning has also been a big focus," Lewis said. "We've worked on some individual skills, and once our first practice started it was nice to bring all of those things together."
Leahy said the practices are hard and tiring, but she knows the team needs it.
"It's getting scrappy," Beckford said. "We have a lot more dives and people going for the ball. A lot of aggressiveness — we're getting more aggressive."
In the early part of the season, the best avenue for the team to get wins will be to simply outwork their opponents. The harder they play, the more mistakes they can afford on the offensive and defensive end. And once it all gets put together, the Pronghorns are confident that they'll be a tough team to face.