Looking Back and Moving On

"While the win provided a lot of inspiration to work hard in the offseason, so did all the losses. We are too talented to have another losing record next year. We have scorers, defenders, and a lot of experience on this roster now. We will not be losing any players next year (although we will miss our student assistant coach, Shannon Fuhr) and we will surely benefit from a talented freshmen class. We definitely have the pieces to put together a better record next year and with some experienced leaders working hard this offseason, I feel confident that we will."

That was the last thing I wrote about my team and the Vassar College Women’s Basketball program. I wrote it as a conclusion to our 4-21 season which ended with an exciting double overtime win at Clarkson. Looking back on that last paragraph, I realize that all of this has held true. We are returning some serious talent to our roster. I truly believe that nobody can stop our sole senior, Second-Team All-Liberty League forward Emily “House” Haeuser. She’s the definition of the word solid. There also isn’t a quicker guard in the league than sophomore Brittany “BP3” Parks (yes like CP3, Candice Parker). Earning Rookie of the Year as well as Liberty League Honorable Mention was definitely just the beginning of Brittany’s success here at VC. She won’t be alone either, as classmate Kristyn “Temp” Tempora is sure to have a breakout season now that she’s healthy, as in, not playing on a broken foot.

All this being said, our freshmen (there’s a whopping six of them) will all be contributing. Tori, Olivia, Natalie, Ani, Sayre, and Sam all can seriously ball and it will be exciting to see the impact they have on the team as we begin our season.

While we began season officially on October 15th (I know, I know, why didn’t I write an update a month ago? I’m getting to that part), we began working out as a team regularly the first few weeks of school back in September. While all our open gyms, lifting regiments, and early morning conditioning workouts were optional, each one of us participated in all of it. When you come off a losing season, waiting around until October 15th to start preparing isn’t the answer to improving that record. So we didn’t. We’ve been working hard day in and day out and we fully plan on reaping the benefits.

It all starts on Sunday, as we host Centenary College at 1 p.m. for our first game of the season. It is one thing to want to win, but it is another to truly feel like you SHOULD win. To feel that there’s no way you’re opponent put in the hours, the sweat, and the tears that you and your teammates did. To feel that you owe it to yourself and to your teammates and coaches to win. That’s how we feel. We’ve used the past as motivation, and we know now that as we continue to work harder and harder, the future will be different. We will make sure of it.