An Interview with The Women’s Basketball Team
Basketball season is around the corner. In light of that, let’s take a look back on
last years Defiance women’s basketball season and what they plan to accomplish this
year! Last year, the women worked hard and made it to the conference tournament.
They did not have the season they had hoped for, and they faced a lot of diversity, but
through it all still accomplished a goal they set out for. I sat down with a couple of the
players and their coach, Jessica (Cox) Morris, to find out what changes they plan to
make to bring this team to a winning season.
Q: Do you feel prepared for this season?
-Brittany Osborne: Yes, I feel like once practice starts here in 2 weeks,
everything will fall together
-Sam Ervin: Yes
-Erica Smay: Yes, I am excited and looking forward to my final season and
holding nothing back.
Q: How do you feel about last season?
-BO: We completed one of our goals we’ve had for a couple years, which was
conference. So I feel good about that, but we still need to keep working.
-SE: It wasn’t ideal but we made conference.
Coach Cox: Happy that we made the conference tournament, it was an
experience we needed to have. I am not thrilled with the overall performance.
Q: What are some skills you worked on in the offseason?
-BO: I worked on driving and shooting 3’s. I want to be more aggressive when it
comes to finishing at the basket and also expand my shooting range.
-SE: I worked on handling the ball more, and outside shooting.
-ES: Mainly more pull-up moves and driving compared to staying on the
perimeter. Also defensive quickness.
Q: What are some of goals you plan to focus on for this upcoming season?
-BO: As a team, we are focusing on our offense and executing our plays.
-SE: A team goal, win conference. My personal goals are to average double
digits and to have better post moves.
-ES: Our team goal is to win conference and I feel like it is a very achievable goal
we lacked experience for in the past. My personal goal is to hold whoever I am
defending to less than their average score, and to use my knowledge and experience to
reach my potential.
-CC: Our goal is to win conference and play the way we are capable of playing,
consistently.
Q: Do you feel that the girls are well prepared for this season, given the
experience of this year’s team?
-ES: From open gyms, we have worked well together. We have leaders among
the group and underclassmen who are very quick to adapt. We are focused on our
abilities as a team.
-CC: For the first time, it is nice to say that we have experience. I have high
expectations for what this team can accomplish this year.
With a conference appearance last year, it is clear this team has one common
mindset when it comes to this season: they are hungry for a conference championship.
With the experience the team this year has, they believe they can show the school and
the conference what they are capable of. This seems to be building up to be a season
of grit and grind, leave it all on the court basketball. With high expectations for this
season, they are going to need more than just the will to win alone. The home opener is
set for Saturday, December 3rd in a conference matchup with Franklin college, with
another two home games to follow on the 7th and 10th, conference matchups as well. It
is setting up to be a solid season for Defiance College Women’s Basketball!
Defiance College
Intercollegiate Athletic Philosophy
The Defiance College intercollegiate athletic program serves as a window of opportunity for all prospective student-athletes to experience an extra-curricular educational and physical activity that fits within the general mission of the college to develop the whole person.
The student-athlete will be exposed to a variety of opportunities for personal growth in the areas of intellectual, emotional, spiritual, social and physical dimensions as it relates to each individual and their respective sport. The student-athlete, as a team member, will be involved in a learning community that will strive for excellence both on the field and in the classroom while maintaining a dignity of fair play and continued emphasis on positive sportsmanship.
Jointly, the coaches and student-athletes will build an engaged environment that will accentuate the learning process not only within the competitive arena but also within the college campus and the community as a whole. An emphasis will be placed on the impact of participation and personal growth, rather than scoreboard success, in a balanced sports program where equitable sports opportunities will be available to both genders.
The student-athletes of Defiance College choose to participate in the intercollegiate athletic program for a variety of reasons but none of which includes athletic related financial aid or the promise of financial security through professional athletic stardom. Through participation in the intercollegiate athletic program, a student-athlete continues to compete for the love of sport, the thrill of competition and the fulfillment of countless intrinsic values.
The Defiance College intercollegiate athletic program strives to be an integral and cohesive part of the collegiate learning and living process, appropriately well suited to co-exist with the Defiance College mission statement…to know-to lead-to serve and to understand.
Mr. Rudy Yovich,
I just recieved word that one of the members of your woman’s basketball team is losing the chance to participate on the court during Defiance women’s basketball games due to the fact that she may miss the last 1/3 of the season. She may miss those games since she may be deployed overseas as a member of the Army National Guard. Your “coach” decided that this would be best for the team if this player sits the bench. This player is a two year starter at point guard…so it will serve the team best if she sits?
Basketball is part of Whitney Schalk’s heart and soul. Deciding to agree to be deployed and give up part of her basketball season and a year of her life to serve and defend our country is very unselfish. How many young people show that kind of committment and dedication to the USA? Now she faces an indirect form of punishment for making that choice.
Instead of celebrating the special person she has on her team, “coach” decides to have Whitney question her own decision to show other young people that sometimes in life you don’t always get to play games.
I have included the Defiance College Intercollegiate Athletic Philosophy so that is was easy for everyone to see. I fail to see how your “coach’s” decision to bench this player supports your philosophy.