New faces from new places here to assist
As the traditional fall sports are coming to an end, Javelina sports fans might be gearing up for spring but the Javelina women’s basketball team is due to tip off Monday, Nov. 4.
After a hard-fought 2023-2024 season the Javelinas finished off the year with a 13-16 record which saw the likes of star point guard Mia Rivers breaking decades-long records.
The Javelinas lost four players to graduation like Rivers and senior guard Jayde Tschritter.
The Javelinas aren’t too worried though because of the off-season moves that were made by Head Coach Michael Madrid.
“One of the biggest things is we obviously go out and try to find players that can fit what we’re doing culture wise. We signed five really good players that I think will be able to step in and make big contributions. Three of them are freshmen, two of them are transfers, so we have a kind of a multitude of experience. We’re looking forward to them being big producers this year,” Madrid said.
With a lot of new players comes new expectations on how the team can perform and Madrid understands with a young team comes a new way to get better now and in the future.
“But as far as looking over the course of the season, just looking to grow day to day. One of the things we talk about is we want to stack days, we want to go 1-0, real simple. We’re just trying to go one day at a time, build, get better, and we kind of just see where this journey takes us to,” Madrid said.
Trying to “stack days” comes with good leadership like senior Abby Bala.
Bala has been around previous team leaders and will be looked on to help the team succeed because it is now her second year with the Javelinas.
“I think you know last year was good experience, learning about everything that has to do with this program. So, I feel like going into my second year here, you kind of just have to step into that role…My expectation for the team is to get better every single day and to come in and do what we have to do,” Bala said.
The Javelinas won’t just be looking to lean on its three returning seniors to lead the team.
Junior guard Alyssa O’Malley knows that the team needs to work together to succeed and that everyone is equal and that’s what it will take to win in the Lone Star Conference.
“We all play an important role. No role is more important than one or the other. Everyone’s talented, and we’ll use them throughout the year,” O’Malley said.
With senior leaders like Bala and a newly equipped roster and an overall drive to get better, the Javelina women’s basketball team is on pace to have an outstanding season.