By Malika Andrews |
The women’s basketball team has spent tireless hours in the Chiles Center running laps, lifting weights and practicing shooting drills. With the team’s first weeks of practice in the books, the Pilots are excited to begin their season.
With eight of the fourteen players on the roster being returners, senior guard Jasmine Wooton has made it her goal to set an example for the newcomers. She said that while the offense may be a change due to new players, having previous knowledge of someone’s skills and abilities is a definite advantage.
“I see myself being close to my teammates, close enough so that they can come to me for help on or off the court,” Wooton said. “Even though I am their captain, I am still their teammate. I want to keep a level of respect for each other, but at the same time still making sure they know this is how we get things done.”
With the new season, the Pilots welcomed a new coaching staff. After the 2013-2014 season, Head Coach Jim Sollars retired after 28 years on the Bluff. Newly appointed Head Coach Cheryl Sorenson joined the Pilots in May along with three new assistant coaches.
Sorenson spent three years on the Bluff as an assistant coach prior to becoming head coach.
Over the years as an assistant coach, Sorenson started training to think like a head coach by preparing practice plans and executing drills the way a head coach would. On the court, she found the transition to be natural.
The returning players are having no trouble respecting Sorenson in her new position.
“There have been some jumps in the road but we have been working through it,” Sorenson said. “The administrative side is all new to me, so just learning how to develop into that role, but I love it.”
Wooton has found the transition to a new coaching staff to be effortless.
“They are very approachable,” Wooton said. “They are always available. I can text them to say I need help and they will text me right back. I can say ‘hey, let’s go to lunch’, or just walk into their office. It has been a seamless transition.”
Along with new coaching staff, there are six newcomers to the team. Among them is freshman guard Madison Ward who was not recruited before coming to The Bluff. She chose UP because of its academics and then emailed Coach Sorenson over the summer about playing.
“I worked out on my own through the summer and tried out once I got here,” Ward said. “I am excited to improve my skills and get closer to the team and just get the experience of college basketball. I am super excited.”
Sorenson has seen Wooton come a long ways in her four years playing for the UP. Sorenson attributes her excellent leadership to a point of being able to pass through adversity both mentally and physically.
As a senior, Wooton wants to leave an impression in her last season as a Pilot.
“My goal for this year is to leave a legacy on the program,” Wooton said. “I am looking forward to the conference tournament always. It’s a change of energy. There is more on the line now. I am not looking forward to losing against a team that I will never get to redeem myself against.”
As a team, the Pilots have their eyes set on the post season and the WCC championship.
Coach Sorenson is asking a lot of the team’s upper classmen in terms of leadership development, getting the freshmen integrated with the team and becoming a cohesive unit in order to achieve this goal.
“If we are not all there together, then we haven’t done our job successfully,” Sorenson said. “The first week we say everyday what our goal is: We want to be WCC champions. And so everyday the focus is, ‘What steps are going to take to get us there?’ And we know that it is a long season, and so every day we need to build to get there.”
Malika Andrews is a sports reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at andrewsm17@up.edu or on Twitter @malika_andrews.
