Phow by Muk Kinonen VVOMEN'S BASKETBALL SHOWS TEAM SPIRIT The concept ofa team is something that few can fu lly understand. Blood, sweat and tears ~re nOt juSt motivational phrases. They represem groups of individuals striving for the same goal- victory. That is what being a team is all about. The Lady Bisons basketball team was an excellem example of this idea. At the beginning of the 1999-2000 season, the Lady Bisons faced four ofthe top teams in the South Division ofthe Lone Star Conference (LSC). Although they came away from these games with a 1-3 record, the Lady Bisons competed well and had a good showi ng against some tough competition, including a season-opening win at Abilene Christian University, Nov. 26,72-68. "We had something to prove against these strong teams, and I think we did a good job of showing that we can compete with tOP teams," Mindy Napier, junior, said. This being their last year in the LSC, the Lady Bisons wanted to send a message to the other teams in the conference, according to Rachel Raglin, senior. "We have competed well in this conference, but we really wanted to go out on a good note," Raglin said. While there were seve ral returning players from last year's team, five new players were introduced at the beginningofthe season. Raglin said her new teammates were a welcome addition to the growing team. "We had a new group this yea r," Raglin said. "As the season progressed, we began to play much better together and function more as a team." Raglin and fellow senior Jamie Pate provided leadership for the young team. Raglin's nine steals against Cameron University on Jan. 22 established a new Lady Bison record for steals in a si ngle game. The fo rced turnovers were not enough, however, as the visitors won the game, 73-66. As anywinning organization can attest to, the one aspect that separates a good team from a better team is defense - and the Lady Bisons were no diffe rem. "We had trouble getti ng up and down the court sometimes," Raglin said. "We understand that defense is the basis of this team and are always working to improve on that." "We set defensive goals that we tried to reach for each game," Kelli Fager, junior, said. "We have done well in the past, but we can always do better. " "The games we won were the games in which we did a good job at achieving our defensive goals," Krista Anderson, senior, said. "That 's whywe put so much emphasis on shutting down the other (earns offensively." Another strength of the Lady Bisons was the team's ability to rely on each other in game situations rather than just on one person to carry the team. "We were awell-balanced team," Raglin said. "While we had some great individual players, we had more than one we4pon when we needed it. " The team concept was definitely stressed in the Lady Bison locker room. But every team has an ind ividual from which it draws energy and encou ragement. Seve ral Lady Bison members said Pate was one of their sources of leadership. "Jaime is a great motivator in practice as well as during games," Fager said. "She is a good encourager who won't hesitate to tell someone where they "WE WERE A WELLBALANCED TEAM. WHILE WE HAD SOME GREAT INDIVIDUAL PLAYERS , WE HAD MORE THAN ONE WEAPON WHEN WE NEEDED IT." -RACHEL RAGLIN, can imp rove." SENIOR "She Oamiel has a lot of energy that we all benefit from," Raglin said. "She helped us keep a positive attitude in practice as well as in games." A common understanding of the Lady Bisons is the high level ofcompetition in the Gulf South Conference (GSC). The 2000-200 1 season will be the Lady Bisons' first year in the GSC, and it promises to be an exciting season, according to Fager. "Sure, there are going to be hard teams to beat, but the degree ofcompetition is fa irly equal throughout the conference," she said. "The intensity will be high and any team can finish the season with the conference tide." The Lady Bisons promise to be a strong force in a highly competitive GSC that will provide many new challenges. T he GSC will reunite Harding with several opponents from the old Arkansas Intercollegiate Confe rence, including Central Arkansas, Henderson State, Southern Arkansas, Arkansas Tech and Arkansas-Monticello. The Lady Bisons' potemial for success against the new competition is compounded by the fact that the Lady Bisons will have five experienced seniors on the roster next season. - Brian Jobe Women's Basketball 203
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