Photo Courtesy of Unsplash, Markus Spiske
Women’s basketball season has begun at Florida State, and we are still waiting to see how our team is going to perform on the court. As of Nov. 7, our team is 1-1, with a win against the University of North Florida and a loss against Illinois.
We are currently ranked at No. 19 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), but despite that number being lower than we may like, hope is not lost for our team. Last year, the ladies on the team made it to the first round of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) championships with a 23-11 record. The year before they had similar stats, leading fans to hope for more wins this year.
Despite our first loss, we had a strong season preview and a significant lead in our first game against North Florida. In the preview games, we had a 23-point lead over West Florida and an astounding 45-point lead over Tampa, showcasing the strength of our team.
Our win against North Florida had similar margins, and although we lost to Illinois, the score was fairly close, ending with an 11-point lead for the winning team.
The team is hoping to keep up their energy from the preview and their previous seasons, and they have a pretty good shot of it. The team is retaining many of its strongest players, such as Makayla Timpson, Ta’Niya Latson, and O’Mariah Gordon. As these players continue to improve, hope and expectations are high surrounding our women’s team.
While eight players are returning from the NCAA championships, our team is also bringing in four transfers. Sydney Bowles, Moreila Chavez, Raiane Dias Dos Santos, and Malea Williams were all brought in by Coach Wyckoff in the hopes that they will strengthen our team, bringing the young women further in the season than they went last year.
The players brought in by Wyckoff are all incredibly strong additions to the team, with their experience at their past schools showing that they will be integral to helping FSU move forward in their journey to the Championships.
Coach Brooke Wyckoff has been building a very strong team in her time at FSU and many commentators believe she will continue to lead the team forward this season, just as she has done in the past. With her leadership, we will likely have yet another impressive season on our hands.
There is some worry though, as we have seen our team underperform at important moments in the past. Last year, our team was defeated by Alabama in the first game of the NCAA championships, leading some to question if we will crumble under pressure this year.
There are also questions surrounding Mariana Valenzuela, a player who tore her ACL last season. She will not be available for the first few games this year, but there is hope she can make a return and help lead our team to victory.
Overall, things are looking good for our women’s basketball team, but they will need to build up their stronger players, integrate the transfers into the team, and overcome obstacles like injuries to get further than they have in the past.
Hopefully, Coach Wyckoff will continue to lead these incredible women forward and succeed in their goals at the championships later in the season.
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