Casey Marley – Editor-in-Chief
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On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the Women’s basketball coach, Randy Norton, spoke to the media on how the fourth in Conference-USA team is shaping up for the upcoming season.
“This is an exciting day for both the Men’s and Women’s basketball programs. We’re excited about our team,” Norton said in Bartow Arena’s Green and Gold Room.
He began his speech noting that the previous day’s practice was the worst practice of the season, an event that united the team to achieve better.
“We had strung together a number of really good practices, but yesterday didn’t go so well, and the girls came back today and we had an outstanding practice,” Norton said.
On top of an outstanding practice, Norton told members of the Birmingham press that the 2015-2016 year will be big for the women’s team. “One of [the reasons]is the seven seniors that have been with us since they got here three years ago. They provide that daily senior leadership,” he said. “When you have a young team, your practices can be up and down because you don’t consistently understand how hard you have to practice every day. The fact of the matter is the way you practice is eventually the way you are going to play in games.”
Coach Norton continued to say that this “senior leadership” is a must-have for any successful basketball team.
“It’s on the court, it’s in the locker room, it’s away from us,” he said. “When you get players like Chelsee Black and Bianca Dufelmeier [seniors on the team]that understand what we want as coaches…they’re able to monitor the locker room. They’re able to keep track of what our girls are doing away from us. You have to do that otherwise there is a lot of ‘shoulda, coulda, woulda.’”
In addition to senior leadership, Norton believes that focusing on small improvements and holistic success will lead the team to a championship this year. “What we talk to our kids about on a daily basis is whether it is on the court, or in a classroom, it’s out in the community and it’s in their personal lives, and when you focus on those four things, and every single day you make that a habit, championships are going to take care of themselves.”
Switching topics from leadership to the team’s frontcourt, Norton said that this year brings some unproven
players ready to make a name in their final year as a Blazer.
One player Coach Norton specifically mentioned was senior Brittany Winborne, a member of the team since her freshman year. “Things have clicked for Brittany, we’re looking for her to have an outstanding season.
She is a monster on the boards and she gives us an outstanding presence on both ends.”
The women’s team played Mississippi College in their first exhibition game on Saturday, beating the team 75-36 at Bartow Arena. The Blazers will face off against Miles College in their next exhibition game on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.
