The Cowboy and Cowgirl basketball teams have had a successful season so far.
Cowgirls Basketball
The Cowgirls are currently 7-1. Their next game will be played against the University of Dallas at home at 5:30 p.m., Dec. 6.
This year, there are a lot of newcomers to the team, making for a unique dynamic that students at HSU have not seen before.
“This year’s team is going to look very different from the team we’ve had the last couple of seasons,” Kendra Whitehead, head coach of the girl’s basketball team, said. “It’s been exciting to start meshing some young talent with the veterans that we returned. It looks like we’re going to be able to add some different concepts that will improve our up-tempo style.”
Each season, the team picks a goal for themselves to work toward other than receiving a championship ring. This helps them learn to work together on and off the court.
“This is ‘coach speak ' but our goal is to grow every single day,” Whitehead said. “We want to look like a completely different team by the end of the season. On a larger scale, the goal is always to win the conference championship so that we have the opportunity to play in the national tournament.”
To support the Cowgirls, students and community members are encouraged to come out and cheer them on during the games.
“We also appreciate prayers for our players,” Whitehead said. ”Basketball season is long and challenging both mentally and physically. Wrapping our team in prayer is a great way to support us.”
Cowboys Basketball
The Cowboys are currently 3-3, with the hopes of a few upcoming wins. Their next games will be played against Whitman in Walla Walla, Wash. at 6 p.m. CT.
This year, the team is made up of a group of upperclassmen who have played together for a couple of seasons and a few freshmen with great promise. They have quickly become close teammates, as is apparent in their gameplay and how they challenge each other on and off the court.
“We have a very close group this year,” Matthew Brackett, head coach of the boy’s basketball team, said. “The guys have been playing really well together and have bought into a ‘team first’ mindset. We have a great group of upperclassmen that have helped our newcomers with our program expectations.”
Like the girl’s team, the Cowboys pick a goal to work toward for each season. This has allowed the players to become more team focused this season.
“We want to just focus on us and get better every single day,” Maverick Harris, assistant coach of the boy’s basketball team, said. “We don't want to get caught up in setting a certain number of wins or how deep we want to go in the NCAA tournament. Let’s just focus on just us and get better every day and everything else will take care of itself.”
Students and the community can support the Cowboys by attending their home games. The next one to be played in Mabee Gym will be against Trinity University on Dec. 10, at 7 p.m.
“We have a great following at our home games which creates a tough home court advantage,” Brackett said.
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