Driven by the accomplishments of last year’s season, the women’s basketball team looks to continue its success on the hardwood.
The women’s 2012-13 season began Nov. 17, as the Cards headed to the Carnegie Mellon Classic. The team split the series 1-1 with a loss to Case Western and a win over Carnegie Mellon.
The season continued this past weekend as the girls headed to Indiana for the Thanksgiving Classic, where the Cards defeated their two opponents, St. Mary’s and Albion.
Senior Hannah Day, who played in all 27 games in the 2011-12 season and is a three-year letter winner, said the team has high hopes and expectations.
“We hope to come together as a team on and off the court to win this year’s (Ohio Athletic Conference) Championship,” Day said. “We want to be a fast-paced team and to at least score 75 points a game.”
Recently, Otterbein hired alumna Diana Noles as the new assistant coach.
“She has a very positive attitude and is someone we really enjoy,” Day said. “She has a lot of knowledge about the game and can contribute a lot to our team.”
Noles will be working alongside Connie Richardson, who is returning for her 22nd year as head coach and aims to complete yet another winning season for Otterbein’s team.
“She is such an awesome coach,” sophomore public relations major Tabatha Piper said. “She knows when to be a motherly figure and when to be a coach. She’s built a great program that just keeps improving throughout the years.”
But with such high expectations for the 2012-13 season, the team didn’t take any days off during the offseason.
“We had conditioning and open gyms,” Day said. “And the summer league games prepared our team with chemistry and
expectations of what we want out of the upcoming season.”
Richardson said she finds pride in her team and the effort it puts in during the offseason.
“Practice hard, play hard and expect to win games when you step on the court,” she said. “If they do those things, then the winning should take care of itself. Work hard and have fun is our philosophy. They play for each other, and that in itself keeps them motivated.”
As for the returning seven seniors, they all know their role on and off the court and what Richardson expects of them.
Richardson anticipates a team that will have multiple contributors and is thrilled to see what this season has in store.
“I am excited to see where this group gets themselves in the end.”
