Williams Women's Basketball Season Outlook

WILLIAMSTOWN, MASS.— This season, Williams Women's Basketball will be striving for consistency— looking to build on the solid foundation they established last season.

In 2021-2022, the Ephs finished 10-15, with a 3-7 record in NESCAC competition. It was a remarkably young team, with seven first years and one sophomore, along with four juniors and a senior. Despite their record, head coach Pat Manning felt that "last year we were in every game… except maybe two." On the poise of the Ephs' competitors, Manning noted that while "[the Ephs] were good in spurts… other teams were able to find another gear down the stretch."

The team will be returning twelve players this year, including captains Maddy Mandyck and Priscilla Singleton-Eriyo as well as fellow seniors Devin Biesbrock and Mia Holtze. "Maddy is a three year starter, and will be a force inside. Her game has grown tremendously from her freshman year until now," said Manning when asked about Mandyck's contributions to the team. Talking about the beginning of the season, Manning noted "our four seniors are leading the way, and I am thrilled with the intensity and determination of our team." The team lost guard Maggie Meehan, a captain who started every game, played the most minutes, and led the Ephs in scoring and assists.

Though the team's youth may still prove to be a challenge, Manning was impressed with many players' offseason improvements. "Our returning players have lifted up their level of play… they have the experience of last season. It's fun to see how much better they've gotten: stronger and more confident. Now they're understanding what it takes." 

The Ephs will play twelve games before the start of NESCAC play. In these non-conference games the Ephs will play against at least three teams that participated in the NCAA tournament last year: Springfield, Smith, Southern Virginia University— along with a chance to play Babson if they meet during the December Tournament. To mimic the Friday/Saturday pairings of NESCAC competition, the team will compete in three back-to-back tournaments. "Friday at seven, Saturday at three. Good or bad you have to let it go. We purposely prepare our schedule so we have that opportunity," said Coach Manning when discussing the careful construction of non-conference play. 

When asked about goals as the season gets underway, Manning quickly pointed out "We have to play better defense. One reason for our losses last season was defensive breakdown. We gave up too many easy baskets. You have to play forty minutes, we had some lulls where we allowed the other team to catch up— that's when our youth showed." To make progress, she stressed that "we are working to develop competitive stamina. One sign of a good team is consistency, where they play at a high level each game, especially on the defensive end. We want to demonstrate that level of consistency every time we take the court and sustain it for forty minutes."

NESCAC competition will begin on Friday, January 6th vs. Amherst, and continue into February. Outside of conference games, Williams' Little Three matchups will take place at Wesleyan on December 10th and at Amherst on January 18th. 

Coach Manning commented on the fact that practices still outnumber games by far. To achieve the team's goals she mentioned that "we strive to have very competitive practices and take it one day at a time, we want to get better as a team each day— beat yesterday. I am proud of our players' preparation and dedication and we're all excited to begin."

The Ephs open the season in Chandler Gym vs. Vassar on Tuesday, November 15 at 7PM.