Izzy Harris
Equinox Staff
Keene State College women’s basketball season officially started and they are ready to bounce back from last season.
Senior shooting guard Emily McPadden said it’s like: “[The] summer months when we were out of school never happened, because we picked up where we left off.”
The season offically started on Oct. 15. “Knowing where everyone is on the court never went away, [it’s like we] never stopped playing,” McPadden said.
The head women’s basketball Coach Keith Boucher said the first goal for this season was to stay healthy.
McPadden said that during last season, “Everyone had an injury at one point.”
Junior forward Mackenzie Bennett said the team is low in numbers, with 12 girls and only ten healthy to play.
“Not having the numbers to scrimmage in practice or have subs makes us really unique. You don’t get to get tired or take a break, you have to work all the time,” Bennett said.
Being a small team has its advantages. McPadden said because the team is so close-knit and small, they understand each other on and off the court.
Bennett said the KSC women’s basketball team is, “A team with the most personality I’ve been on.”
Likewise, Boucher said the team has good chemistry. “Given the parts we have, we can put those pieces of the puzzle together so it looks like a picture,” he said.
“We only lost one senior, she was a big part of the team but the skills that each player brings to the table this year meshes really well with what we’re trying to do,” McPadden said.
McPadden is the only returning senior for this season. “It’s crazy to think I’m the only one left. Hopefully I can help the team out and prepare them for next year and to lead for the next,” she said.
Boucher said that McPadden has a very high Basketball IQ, and she is a student of the game.
“I think she helps the team because she leads in that regard. They see her and that focus that she has, and they understand that’s what they have to do in order to be successful,” said Boucher.
The girls had their first scrimmage against Springfield College on Oct. 27.
Boucher said that while the scrimmage didn’t go as well as they would have liked it to, the team is, “Taking steps forward to improve our performance from last weekend.”
“You can either take a step forward or a step back, [there’s] no neutral when it comes to athletics,” said Boucher.
The girls will play their second scrimmage of the season against Norwich University on Saturday, Nov. 3.
Boucher said that it is too early give a concrete answer on how the team is doing so far. “The best teachers you have are your mistakes. Hopefully everyone, even coaches, make better decisions against Norwich,” Boucher said.
“We’re trying to find our identity as a team and I think that’s the most important thing,” Boucher said.
Bennett said that it was a, “Rough season last year, we were young and we couldn’t [win] games,” but about this season, Bennett said “… we want to finish games and to be tough, and to win.”
Izzy Harris can be contacted at
iharris@kscequinox.com
