Rubi Martinez
High-top sneakers and scarlet-white uniforms ready, the Pierce College women’s basketball team is ready to box-out their way through the season.
Sophomore Bridget Jenkins, 19, is 2008 All Game High Scorer for the WSC Western State Conference; she leads the state on free throws with 87 percent.
Jenkins said, “The goal for this year is to win large and make it at least to playoffs because we didn’t go last year. Last year was fun and exciting. It was a good year overall; this year we are going to finish what we started.”
Jim Couch, 2008 WSC Coach of the Year, anticipates for his team to do better than last year and the year before. Last year’s lead was 21 wins, 8 losses and the year before that the team’s lead was 25-6.
“We expect to do better than Ventura College this year,” Couch said. Ventura College is among the State Elite Eight and won the WSC Championship 10 years straight, as well as the WBCA National Academic Honor Roll from 2004-’08.
Couch has not yet announced the official team, but he did reveal some of the names of returning players and new players, including Tierra Battle, Erin Thompson and, after a year of layoff due to an injury, Kim Rodriguez. New players include Tessondra Williams, point guard from Chatsworth High School, Jessica Logologo, forward from Lakewood High School, Mikala Pride from Las Vegas and Taylor Reed playing center.
The stakes are high this year and the players have high expectations for their performance. The team started practice three weeks ago, Mon-Fri from 4-6 p.m. at the campus’ South Gymnasium.
With the season around the corner, practice couldn’t be more demanding on the players. Milena Reicevic, guard and 20-year-old freshman, was injured two weeks ago during practice but is expected to start practicing by the end of the week. Reicevic played basketball for her high school and is looking forward to next year, when she’ll be going to play overseas.
“Next year, I’m going to Serbia, Yugoslavia to play for a private team. I’m really looking forward to that,” Reicevic said.
The team’s first home game is Nov. 13 against College of the Canyons.
Lucky Richardson, 20-year-old sophomore, said, “I think we’re going to do good, not skill-wise, but team-wise.”
The Pierce College women’s basketball team starts their body-conditioning program to get ready for the upcoming season. (Aisha Ahal)