Dec. 10, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - By Gabrielle Richards, GoPSUsports Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Every winning team begins somewhere, whether it is an adjustment to a new a coach, a new playbook, or an entirely new roster. Winning rarely ever just happens; if it did, watching a team grow into their own wouldn't be as enjoyable.
It is no secret that the Lady Lions are facing a learning curve this season. Penn State graduated four starting seniors last year: Talia East, Ariel Edwards, Dara Taylor and Maggie Lucas. Last year's senior class won three regular-season Big Ten championships, secured a bid for the NCAA tournament four times, and recorded 101 wins, the second most by a class in Penn State women's basketball history.
From the beginning of the season, head coach Coquese Washington has said that this season was going to be a process. Coach Washington and her staff have had to reinvent their playbook, learn a new team and virtually jumpstart a new era of Lady Lion basketball. The Lady Lions are working week-in and week-out with a roster that is mostly sophomores.
"I have seen a lot of growth in this team, though it hasn't necessarily shown up on game day," Washington said. "There is growth in practice and there is growth in games. Coaching is like raising kids: some kids have growth-spurts at different times."
If this past weekend's win against Wagner proves anything it is this: the team is coming into their own. With only eight games under their belt, the Lady Lion's are building off of a 2-6 record. The next three games are the last matchups for Penn State before they begin conference play.
"We have played eight games so far; it looks like eight games," Washington said. I thought it was fantastic to have three girls post 20-point games this weekend. The pace that we played against Seton Hall is the pace that we would like to see more often."
For anyone watching Sunday afternoon's matchup, you could see the energy the Lady Lions had on the court. That level of energy is something that spectators and opposing teams will see moving forward with the season, as the team is only becoming more confident."
"I think our leadership with Lindsey (Spann), Sierra (Moore) and Kaliyah (Mitchell) will be inspired by the consistency of their play," Washington said. "As we continue to grow as a team and develop a standard of consistency, especially as we head into conference play, our team will come into its own."
Coach Washington's plan for this team changes with every game. The Lady Lion's have operated with five different starting lineups and with a young team; trial and error is common place. Without a doubt, the Lady Lions are heading into Wednesday's matchup against Hartford with a confidence boost, but coach Washington wants her team to learn how to build momentum and not rely on momentum from a previous game.
"Wagner was a great experience for us, maybe even cathartic in some ways," coach Washington said. "Hartford is going to be a different challenge; they play taller and bigger teams really tough. If you are going to momentum it has to be because you are focused at the task at hand. We will get there."
The Lady Lions square off against Hartford, on the road, on Wednesday at 7 p.m.