Photo by: SMC Athletics / Emily Smith
WBB | New Season, Familiar Faces at Gaels First Official Practice
9/27/2022 12:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MORAGA, Calif. – Saint Mary's Women's Basketball held their first official practice of the 2022-23 season, as the team moves up from individual workouts to full team practices.
The Gaels are slated to open the season November 7 against Nevada in an 11:00 a.m. game that will feature busloads of young fans in attendance for a vibrant atmosphere. Between now and the opener, SMC will aim to fine tune a group that lost only two seniors and added three newcomers for this season.
Last year Head Coach Paul Thomas referred to the day of the first official practice as feeling like Christmas morning, and this year wanted see the energy and intensity crank up on day one.
"I think everybody's intensity changes," Thomas said, "It's like going from a scrimmage to a real game, a real game, to a league game, to a tournament game, and a tournament game to the postseason, where you would like to think that your intensity increases and improves with each of those levels. We just wanted to see if we could find a little bit of a different sense of urgency and I think they did a great job of that today."
They are coming off an 18-15 season in 2021-22, finishing the campaign by winning the Women's Basketball Invitational in Lexington, Ky. and are looking to build off the successful finish to the season by what was a very young Saint Mary's team.
Junior Tayla Dalton is one of the many returners for the Gaels, and not only did she gain valuable postseason experience at the WBI, but also is a member of the New Zealand Women's 3x3 Team.
"I think the WBI was a great opportunity for us to finish the season on a high note," Dalton said. I think after the WCC tournament in Las Vegas, we felt we had some unfinished business, so went to the WBI and left it all out there and finished with a championship, and hopefully this year it can be the WCC Championship. I think with our experience coming back we already have a higher foundation, and we can take the WBI Championship and build off that"
On July 25, the Gaels announced their non-conference opponents and dates for 2022-23 and the full schedule can be seen HERE. The 2023 University Credit Union WCC Tournament will be held from March 2-7 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Tickets for the upcoming season are available by clicking HERE.
#GaelsRise
The Gaels are slated to open the season November 7 against Nevada in an 11:00 a.m. game that will feature busloads of young fans in attendance for a vibrant atmosphere. Between now and the opener, SMC will aim to fine tune a group that lost only two seniors and added three newcomers for this season.
Last year Head Coach Paul Thomas referred to the day of the first official practice as feeling like Christmas morning, and this year wanted see the energy and intensity crank up on day one.
"I think everybody's intensity changes," Thomas said, "It's like going from a scrimmage to a real game, a real game, to a league game, to a tournament game, and a tournament game to the postseason, where you would like to think that your intensity increases and improves with each of those levels. We just wanted to see if we could find a little bit of a different sense of urgency and I think they did a great job of that today."
They are coming off an 18-15 season in 2021-22, finishing the campaign by winning the Women's Basketball Invitational in Lexington, Ky. and are looking to build off the successful finish to the season by what was a very young Saint Mary's team.
Junior Tayla Dalton is one of the many returners for the Gaels, and not only did she gain valuable postseason experience at the WBI, but also is a member of the New Zealand Women's 3x3 Team.
"I think the WBI was a great opportunity for us to finish the season on a high note," Dalton said. I think after the WCC tournament in Las Vegas, we felt we had some unfinished business, so went to the WBI and left it all out there and finished with a championship, and hopefully this year it can be the WCC Championship. I think with our experience coming back we already have a higher foundation, and we can take the WBI Championship and build off that"
On July 25, the Gaels announced their non-conference opponents and dates for 2022-23 and the full schedule can be seen HERE. The 2023 University Credit Union WCC Tournament will be held from March 2-7 in Las Vegas, Nev.
Tickets for the upcoming season are available by clicking HERE.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
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