Sophomore Season

We have officially started basketball season! It is surreal to me how fast the first half of the semester has passed. How are fall sports almost done?

I have a different perspective this season, and it has made the game more fun. As a sophomore, I know most of the drills and understand Coach Mark's expectations. It is nice to not be completely clueless. In addition, I know the goals we are working toward. The Ohio Athletic Conference is a tough conference to play women's basketball in. Any team can win on any night, so your team must show up ready to play. When I was a freshman, I played with no motivation. I didn't have any feelings toward the teams in our conference. Most of the time, I was a lost puppy on the court trying to keep up with everyone else. 

Throughout the season, I was always fixated on copying the action of our senior post, Alisa Stalher. She was an important leader on our team. This year, I feel more obligated to lead our freshmen.  Ironically, only one of them plays the same position as me. Our coach references the sophomores as the "bridge between the upperclassmen and underclassmen." This is an accurate statement of how our team functions. The sophomores are slightly clueless, but we know the expectations. We understand the importance of doing everything with a purpose and the right way. Therefore, it is our obligation to relate to the freshmen, while holding them to our standards. 

I will be a little selfish and say it is so nice to not be a freshman anymore. Freshman year was beyond overwhelming. At times, I had zero understanding of what our team was working toward. It is difficult to find the motivation to work when you are playing a new style of basketball. I am hungry for a conference championship this year. We have the caliber of players to win the conference and make an NCAA tournament run. Thankfully, our first scrimmage is less than a week away. I am ready to go compete with my team. This season will be one to watch.