November 3, 2010

"FACE THE PRIDE" WITH JULIE PLANT

“Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard” says head coach of the women’s basketball team Julie Plant as her coaching philosophy over the past five years at Regis.

Regis College Women’s Basketball Team Prepares for Season

“Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard” says head coach of the women’s basketball team Julie Plant as her coaching philosophy over the past five years at Regis. This will be the sixth year for Coach Plant as she starts another season with some returning players and many new players on the women’s basketball team. There are five returners and nine new players, one transfer and eight new students. With practices in full swing, the team is getting ready to start their season in a few weeks.

When asked what the difference is between last year’s conference championship runner up team and this year’s team, Coach Plant said, “We are deeper, bigger, and have team chemistry. We are deeper in the sense that we have more players off the bench who will be playing with a couple of freshman who could start.” The captains of the team are Brittany White, Stephanie Crawford, and Sarah McNult who are the leaders of the team both on and off the court. “They play a variety of leadership roles. They are the sounding board for the team and are the heart and soul of the team.” The responsibilities of theses captains are to set a good example for the rest of the team by running study halls or being a mentor to other teammates. All three of these women know what it takes to succeed.

One of the things that create such a diverse but unique team is the recruitment process. It is important for a coach to know what kind of players they like to recruit in order to build a successful team such as the women’s basketball team. Coach Plant says the kind of players she likes to recruit are “competitive, players who hate to loose, want to win, and not just good players but good people; players who are giving high-fives to their teammates, getting water for others and are hard working.”

There are many new players on the team and a few who will have a big impact on the team. One is Claire Ramonas. Claire has achieved many personal awards as well as maintaining a strong record during her high school career. One of her personal honors was being a Maine McDonald’s All-Star. Another freshman that will have a great impact is Leah Murphy who Plant says “Can just score and is a really competitive kid.” There are also a few people the coach says will surprise people; this includes Lauren Kimble and Teresa Busiek. Both of these players are said by the coach to be “defense machines and work horses.” With all of the pieces in place, the team sounds ready to start competing.

A few of the necessities the team needs to maintain is to stay in shape, know the fundamentals, keep their strong attacking mode, and to go hard at everything they do. These are the items that come from Coach Plant’s coaching philosophies to keep her team at its best. From the looks of it, the women’s basketball team has a pretty promising team that could possibly go even further than the team from last year did in their conference.

Each member of the team is passionate about the same thing, winning. The women’s team is passionate about having fun while working hard, having high demands, and doing all the right things on and off the court. It is important that the team maintains their focus at the right time and it is clear that the women’s basketball team demonstrates that throughout their season. The team has a strong core and they are willing and able to do what it takes to win a championship.

The Regis College women’s basketball team will begin their season in a few weeks with five away games and then their first home game against Newbury College on December 4^th in the Regis College den. There will be contests at the games and the team will surely keep you entertained. Please come support and cheer on the women’s basketball team as they take on another season.

By Mary Kate Flynn