Coming Back to College Basketball

Everyone knows that Ohio Northern Women's Basketball is different. We are a family. I was counting down the days until I was back on campus with my teammates. Needless to say, we are spending an absurd amount of time together. 

We graduated seven seniors off the roster, so this year is focused on rebuilding. Those seniors were key elements in every game plan. They made sure we were always following our core values on and off the court. I think one of the unique aspects of our team is how much we care about whom we are becoming as individuals. We were brought together to play basketball, but life is so much bigger than a leather ball. Our coach places a precedent on the quality of people he has in his program. He wants us to leave the program as better people than we were when we came in. I can say this process is not an easy one. In high school, I was a key offensive player with many accolades. Praise was a key piece in feeling confident in myself. The world of college basketball knocked me off that pedestal very fast. It doesn't matter if you can score the most if you miss high fives, sit silent and take plays off. Who wants a teammate who only looks out for themself?

I think a young lineup will be a strength of ours. A majority of the teams in the conference lost seniors out of their starting lineups. I may be slightly biased, but I think we are adjusting well to our lineup. When we got to campus, we started running optional open gyms. These can be a little messy at the start since everyone is coming off different training situations from the summer. Our team has proved they worked this summer. We are giving everything we have every minute we are on the court. The freshmen have been impressive as well. College basketball is more fast-paced and meticulous than high school basketball. I remember it being overwhelming most of the time. The freshmen continue to pour their best efforts into us, and I cannot express how much we appreciate it.

Our team is going to be fun to watch this year! I know we are young, but I have full confidence in our group. When you have people willing to lay everything on the line for one another, the skill set of the other team does not matter.