The Goshen College women’s basketball team has several new additions this year, including three first-year athletes and a new assistant coach.
The year has not started off as well as the team had hoped, with only one win of the seven games they’ve had, but they are confident things will start looking up.“We’ve been starting off a little rough,” said the new assistant coach, Teana Lewis. “But how the team is developing has been tremendous since day one.”
Part of the reason for this rocky start is last year’s loss of seniors. “Last year, we had 10 seniors. So this is a big transition year,” said Lilly Null, a senior exercise science major and team captain.
The loss of players was bad not only for the loss of experience, but also for the chemistry they had built over their years playing together.
“They’re new, so unless you’ve played with someone for three years, you don’t really know how to effectively communicate with them,” said head coach Tyra Carver.
“This is their opportunity to build their own chemistry,” Carver said.
Despite the influx of new players, the team puts confidence in their coach. “We just have to continue to do what Tyra asked us to do,” said Lewis.
One of the mindsets Carver encourages in the team is to treat losses as a learning opportunity. “A loss, to me, is just a lesson,” Carver said.
It’s that focus on growth and not of results that means a lot to Null. “It’s about having fun … she’s been in that situation, which really helps us excel,” she said.
“Even if we don’t win the game, we just win at life,” Lewis said.
No matter how much Carver preaches learning from a loss, sometimes humanity strikes, and the loss gets to her. However, she said she has a great team behind her. “They do a good job of keeping my spirits high when sometimes I feel like, ‘Oh, man, I’m not a fan of losing,’” Carver said. “But they’re like, ‘Coach, let’s just get the next one.’”
Lewis, who played basketball in college with Carver as her assistant coach, provides very important skills to the team.
“She gives us a good balance. She’s someone that’s a little opposite of me. She’s really smart, knows the game well, and just kind of been coming into her own and adding value to the team,” said Carver.
“Coach Tyler and coach Jomani, they’re amazing. Coach Teana just kind of adds to their spunk. All three of them gel so well,” said Null. “She’s very positive. I think she was that next key piece that we needed to really uplift.”
While the start of the season left quite a lot on the table in terms of their record, the team is proud of the work they’ve done so far. “Personally, it’s a lot better than years prior,” said Null. “We’re learning. That’s the biggest thing that’s going on right now.”
“I’m really proud of the success of just embracing the unknown, and despite every loss, those girls are still ready to put the work in,” said Carver.
