Women’s basketball travels to Bahamas, sits atop Big South
HPU Women's Basketball player Hallie Gunnoe
By Shawntay Henry
The High Point University women’s basketball team left North Carolina’s 40-degree weather on Saturday, December 17 and headed south to the beautiful, sunny island of Nassau, Bahamas.
Although the team had built up a lot of excitement prior to its departure, first year head coach Jennifer Hoover expressed to them that this was a business trip and not a pleasure trip.
The warm island breeze, the sandy beaches, and the flourishing palm trees, all happened to be minor distractions for the Panthers.
However, after a little fun in the sun on the beach, the team’s fun came to a screeching halt after its first day in Nassau.
The Panthers started the tournament with positive energy, but it wasn’t good enough to match the intensity of Georgia State and Central Arkansas, losing 79-68 and 69-58.
“Bahamas was a great learning experience for the team,” said junior captain Erin Reynolds. “We were able to learn about ourselves as a team and as individuals.” According to Reynolds, the team failed to make the transition from fun mode to serious mode.
“The intensity level on defense was not there, and these were two games that had to be played very well in order to get the win,” said Hoover.
In addition, Shamia Brown said the team’s performance in the Bahamas was a big motivation for performing better when they came back home to the Millis Center.
The team now sits atop the conference winning the first five games of Big South play.
Hoover is excited about the team’s record, but knows the team is targeted and its competition will only get tougher from this point on. She notices that her players are valuing hard work, and they appreciate the push they receive from their coaches – even if that means long conditioning hours.
Hoover hears and sees the motivation and passion in these young women from their locker room conversations about drills and plays to their sisterly bickering every once in a while.
“This is just the beginning,” Hoover said.