A look into what we can expect to see from our basketball teams this winter.
Women’s Basketball
With 14 varsity players returning to the team, the roster for the women’s basketball team looks familiar. The only two players on the roster that did not have experience with the team last year are Aliann Schmidt, an NAIA transfer from Eastern Oregon University, and Lily Svetich, a Division I graduate transfer from Cal Poly.
All of which is to say: There are loads of experience on this year’s team. And, with a third place finish in the NWC in the 2022-23 season and an 11-5 record, there are hopes to pick up right where they left off; being able to build on their experience from last year and work on their team dynamics will be essential to the ability for this team to succeed.
Last year, three players were awarded All-NWC conference awards: Brilie Kovaloff with first team All-NWC, Rilee Price second team All NWC, and Sydney Gray honorable mention All-NWC. All three return this season as fifth year players.
Alecia Parker also returns for her fifth season with the Boxers, with the addition of assistant coach Kylie Frizzel, who has previous coaching experience at Ursuline College and Ashland University. In regards to the upcoming season, Coach Parker feels good about where the team is currently at. “We are super excited to have the opportunity to compete as a team this year…The chemistry on the court [that] our team has which makes for a fun style of basketball to watch. [I am] excited to take each opportunity we get and play to our full potential.”
Men’s Basketball
Lucas Winkler (Junior) and Jacob Bolger (Senior) return to the men’s team this year after receiving second team All-NWC and honorable mention All-NWC respectively in the 2022-23 season. The team finished 11-14 in the 22-23 season, and will look to make it to the NWC tournament this year, having not won it all since 1997.
Bolger returning back will be immensely helpful for the Boxers, as he was ranked fifth in scoring in the NWC last season, tallying up 312 points in 21 games played, and second in blocked shots. Winkler ranked first in the NWC in assists and steals, and fourth in rebounds where he averaged 6.7 a game. Using their tenure on the court, the duo makes a good centerfold for the team to build on.
“I’m really excited for the season,” Winkler said. “We didn’t end up where we wanted to last year and so we’re really hoping to improve on that. We have a lot of new guys this year so our goal has been to keep improving every day as we gain more experience together.”
Although a tough start to the pre-season, the team is preparing well for NWC play. “We’ve had a few good tests already this pre-season which has helped us come together as a group and find our identity as a team,” added Winkler. “We’ve got a lot of fight, so there should be a lot of fun games to come.”
Major: Sports Communications
Hometown: Stayton, OR
Hobbies: Watching baseball, thrifting, skincare, hanging out with my pets, snowboarding, and going on walks.
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