Basketball season is upon us, and the Harding women’s basketball team is more than ready for it. The DII Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll was recently released for the 2014-2015 season, placing the Lady Bisons at No. 15 in the nation.
“It’s an honor to be picked that high,” head women’s basketball coach Tim Kirby said. “That ranking is the result of the success we had last season, so it feels nice.”
The Lady Bisons had their share of successes last year. The team finished 29-3 overall and 19-1 in the Great American Conference (GAC).
They were ranked as high as No. 2 in DII and finished the season ranked No. 10. It was the first time that the Lady Bisons finished a season ranked in the top 25. Additionally, they were the GAC regular season champions and even hosted the NCAA DII Central Regional Tournament.
But senior small forward Montana Lewis is not content with the team’s accomplishments thus far.
“We’ve been to the conference tournament championship the past two years now,” Lewis said. “It’d be really awesome to come in first this year. We just want to improve our record from last year and see what comes of it. Our goal is obviously to go all the way in the NCAA tournament.”
The Lady Bisons came up short in the last two games of last season: in the GAC tournament championship vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State and in the first round of the DII NCAA Tournament vs. Concordia University, St. Paul. Those two heartbreaking defeats have fueled the team this offseason and preseason.
“Our preseason was tough,” Kirby said. “We worked a lot on mental toughness and conditioning. If we can be the smartest and most in-shape team on the court, we’ll win the games we need to.”
Small forward Sydney Layrock is one of four freshmen who are looking to help the team this year.
“I want to do whatever I can to contribute and just be a team player,” Layrock said. “Basketball has been my life ever since I was 4 and I’m proud to finally be a Lady Bison.”
Another part of the Lady Bisons are the Rhodes Rowdies, Harding’s energized basketball student fan section. Lewis, a four-year starter for the team, knows firsthand the impact that excited fans can have on a game.
“The Rhodes Rowdies give us a surge of adrenaline because of how loud, intense and intimidating they are,” Lewis said. “Because they’re always cheering for us and wanting to see us succeed, we play harder to not let them down.”
The Lady Bisons anticipate a loud crowd tonight as they play their first game of the season at 5:30 p.m. in the Rhodes Fieldhouse against Christian Brothers University.
