By Tucker Paquette
@tpaquette17
After a successful season that resulted in a trip to the NCAA Division III women’s basketball tournament, Springfield women’s basketball is gearing up to regain that form again this year.
The Pride finished last year with a 22-6 record, including a sterling 10-1 mark in conference play. However, a loss to Babson in the NEWMAC Tournament semifinals and a subsequent defeat at the hands of Widener in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championships cut Springfield’s season short.
Springfield head coach Naomi Graves likes what she’s seen so far in practices from a team chemistry standpoint, and believes the team has the right mindset to get back to where they were last year – and go even further.
“The commitment is a huge strength,” Graves said. “They’re in great shape, so they committed to the preseason workout programs.”
“They want to play together, so I think the chemistry and cohesion is really good,” Graves added. “Also, the whole determination of ‘We want to get back to the NCAA’s, we want to get back to the NEWMAC Championship, we want to host it here.’”
Last year, the Pride were led by first-team all-conference forward Angie Czeremcha. In her junior season, Czeremcha posted averages of 13.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game.
The recognition of that performance has come in spades for Czeremcha, as she was named last year’s NEWMAC women’s basketball Defensive Player of the Year, and recently was named a preseason All-American by d3hoops.com.
Czeremcha set the program record last year for rebounds in a season, and also finished 18th in the country in total rebounds. She points to her work on the glass as something that drives her.
“Rebounding really fuels my game, it’s something that gets me going,” Czeremcha said.
Graves believes Czeremcha’s consistency and veteran leadership are valuable assets for the Pride.
“She’s always going to be the constant for us right now,” Graves said. “She’s an unbelievable player and we’re lucky to have her in our program. She’s going to be a person we count on every day, even in practice. Her work ethic is outstanding, her commitment to the team is unbelievable.”
The Pride’s talent goes far beyond Czeremcha, however. Specifically, Graves points to sophomore guards Claire Finney and Kassidy Carrano among those younger players set to take on larger roles this year.
“Last year, we had a really strong freshman class,” Graves said. “I believe that class, who are now sophomores, is going to be stronger, more athletic and more talented than the year before. I think you’re going to see those kids making a huge impact on this team.”
Carrano is set to take the reins as the team’s point guard. Although Carrano will have to fill the role of recently-graduated standout Rachel Vinton, Graves believes she is up to the task.
“We’re going to miss Rachel Vinton at the point guard position, because she was a leader in all aspects of our game,” Graves said. “But I’m seeing some really bright spots. Kassidy has worked on her handle, and she’s getting so much smarter day in and day out.”
Junior guard Amanda Leary figures to be another key contributor for the Pride. She posted 10.6 points and 2.3 assists per game last year, starting 27 of the team’s 28 games.
On the interior, senior Lindsey Laughlan returns as a strong presence. Laughlan tallied 6.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 18 starts last season.
This mix of veteran talent and developing first-years and sophomores has the team excited for what the upcoming campaign has in store. The Pride will face a challenging schedule this year, specifically in non-conference play, but Graves thinks the Pride have the roadmap to get through the tough slate.
“You have to be resilient, you have to be gritty and you have to realize that you need to work harder in the gap, and this team has that,” Graves said.
In order to earn hard-fought wins, the Pride will need to be locked in defensively. The team believes they have the talent and approach to do just that, while generating offense in the process.
“We pride ourselves on our defense,” Czeremcha said. “We’re looking to take care of the little things. Making sure that we’re communicating on defense, boxing out. Once we know we’ve got that hammered down, it translates directly to the offensive end.”
Czeremcha, now a senior, is ready to put the team’s plans and goals into action. The Pride’s first chance to do so will come Friday at 5 p.m. against Western New England in Blake Arena.
“I’m looking forward to competing again… getting back in the environment in Blake Arena. This being my senior year, I’m really fired up to get that competition back and show everyone how good of a team we are.”
(Photo courtesy of Springfield College Athletics)