Thursday marks an important day for women’s basketball.
True, Western Oregon is visiting and it is an exhibition game. This game somehow feels more significant when thinking back to last season. Last season, remember, the women’s basketball team dropped an exhibition game to visiting Vanguard.
Then the loss rallied a senior-dominated team that proved skeptics wrong with an appearance in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
This season is a new, important beginning.
If women’s basketball wants to continue being relevant going forward, they need to show progress this season. The Ducks need to show there is a foundation being built that is going to turn into a consistent NCAA Tournament participant. Wins are important. Showing progress and reasons for optimism are more so in keeping remaining fans tuned in and drawing news fans to McArthur Court.
Fans can be fickle. They enjoy watching winning programs. It’s usually the in-between period they have little patience for when losses are more prevalent than wins. Last season was a stop-gap, an in-between period, when seniors relied on pride and poise to make a postseason appearance.
Clear signs of progress are why so many fans have been drawn to go and watch the volleyball team. From three years ago until now, each season under Jim Moore has shown consistent improvement and fans and students have responded. Few students showed up when Moore started. Flash forward to the Washington match this season and there’s the volleyball’s version of the Pit Crew – one section next to the court full and another section partially full on one end of the court.
There is a different feeling this basketball season.
Optimism.
Two seasons ago, questions entering the season surrounded a team losing Cathrine Kraayeveld and Andrea Bills. People wondered if that team could make a repeat NCAA Tournament appearance.
Last season, the off-season featured the defections of Gabrielle Richards, who went home to Australia, and Kristen Forristall, who left for the volleyball team. It had the surreal with Nicole Garbin joining the team after finishing her last season with the soccer team.
Off-the-court happenings can be interesting for a time, then you begin analyzing what’s happening on the court and you begin wondering if there can’t be something more.
This season’s excitement can be tied to the six new freshmen and the influx of height. How far this team goes though is largely dependent on the play of its backcourt.
The promise of Nicole Canepa, Ellyce Ironmonger, Ellie Manou and Victoria Kenyon is encouraging, but, until they’ve played their first minutes of Division I basketball, what they’ll contribute this season is unknown. With the guards, you have a better idea.
Taylor Lilley is an adept three-point shooter who says she’s worked on a dribble jumper. The do-it-all Kaela Chapdelaine provides the rebounds, assists, points and hustle. Tamika Nurse showed flashes of her potential last season with her lightning-quick speed – the biggest question is if she can be consistent for an entire season.
The guards will be handling the ball and looked upon to provide scoring as the post players find their way.
If this team is going to miss the NCAA Tournament again next spring, a young team adjusting to Division I basketball, they must show signs of progress.
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