In a meeting during preseason training, the women’s basketball players came up with a simple montra for this year: “heart, discipline, success and passion.”
It may just be four words to an average person, but to this year’s team, these words are what define Billiken basketball. The four words are what the players will continually refer back to for motivation throughout the season when the thought of giving up or slowing down creeps into their minds.
“The phrase we came up with not only defines the team, but it also defines each of us and what we bring to the table, individually,” sophomore Lauren Woods said.
The team’s record has steadily improved since Shimmy Gray-Miller took over at the helm three years ago, from 4-23 in 2004-05 to 10-20 last year. A winning season this year would break a seven-year streak of losing seasons.
The head coach, now in her third recruiting class, is convinced it can happen this year-she described this as her best team since coming to Saint Louis University.
However, she admits that the outcome of this season is unclear. The team has the potential to be successful, but Gray-Miller is unsure how that will translate into wins and losses.
In order to facilitate her goal of a winning season, Gray-Miller decided to change things up this year.
“I recruited athletes and not shooters,” Gray-Miller said. “This year, we have athletes that can contribute on the court, which creates way more rotation. I know we don’t have shooters, but I want our defense to create our offense.”
The Bills’ first exhibition game in Chaifetz Arena Nov. 7 reflected this recruiting style. The team played with high intensity, outrunning its Washington University in St. Louis opponents, but only managed to shoot 27 percent in the first half.
With better athletes, the Bills’ style of play has changed from last year. Freshman India Warfield characterizes it as one that is up-tempo and aggressive offensively.
“We’re looking to push the ball up the court and outrun our opponents,” Warfield said. “We just need to take it one game at a time and focus on our strengths.”
Gray-Miller has been unrelenting in training for this season, pushing her team with three-hour practices and 30 minute film sessions that follow court time.
“We haven’t done practices like this in the past because the teams before this year would not have made it,” Gray-Miller said. “This gang can handle it.”
The players and coach are also trying to acclimate themselves to their new home. Chaifetz Arena, although just a short walk across campus, is a far cry from the small West Pine Gym the women’s team played in last year.
In the Wash. U. game, Gray-Miller said she couldn’t help but look up at the replays on the big screens that line Saint Louis University’s new home court.
“I really felt like a D-I coach in a home gym,” she said.
