Simpson women’s basketball is gearing up for a successful season and gathering the tools necessary to become 15-time conference champions.
The team lost the first round of the American Rivers Conference tournament to Central College last year, and two of the best three-point shooters in the nation have graduated. This, however, has only driven this year’s team to unite and find a balanced playstyle on the court.
According to sophomore guard Morgan Christian, the team will be more challenging to face than ever if that balance succeeds.
“Last year, we had people who were defined as our scorers and people who backed them up, but this year we’re more balanced, and anyone is a threat now,” Christian said. “That’s obviously gonna make us hard to guard if everyone can score. There’s not one person they’ll need to stop; it’s the whole team they’ll have to stop.”
This year’s roster consists of 25 players, 19 of whom are first- and second-year students; this is also the first year COVID-19 athletes won’t be returning.
Head Coach Brian Niemuth said the playing field is level and unpredictable this season because of younger athletes being relied on across the conference.
“It’s going to be interesting this year because everyone’s rebuilding in a way,” Niemuth said. “You’ve got younger players stepping up, and the teams that have been at the bottom are going to be a lot better, and the top teams maybe not quite as good. You can’t walk in the gym and just beat somebody because you have in the past.”
Although the COVID athletes and most of last year’s team captains have graduated, their team’s culture has strengthened this offseason, with many players stepping up to lead.
“Our seniors always do a good job getting the new players acclimated,” Niemuth said. “They’ve been through it, and now they’re guiding the younger ones.”
Christian said that the team’s culture is shaped by the coaches and reflected in the players’ work ethic.
“We all want to motivate each other, and if you walk past the gym, there are constantly girls in there,” Christian said. “And our coaches have made that culture. Then the girls last year grew that culture for us, and all we’re doing is continuing that.”
The team’s ultimate goal for this season is to ensure they’ve put their all in every game, win or lose
“When the season’s over, you just want to be able to look back and say we gave it everything and that’s what matters most to us,” Christian said.
Niemuth doesn’t talk about winning championships, he talks about getting better and getting the team to do the best they can.
“At the end of the year, you want to be able to look back and say, we did everything we could. We were as good as we could,” Niemuth said.
The team’s first game isn’t until Nov. 14, where they’ll play in Chicago in the Beth Baker Classic. Their first conference game is against Loras College on Dec. 6.
Until then, the team will continue building their dynamics and culture to be the best they can be.
“When we walk in our locker room, there’s a wall of pictures of Niemuth coaching throughout the years, and it says ‘family gets it done,’” Christian said. “We truly are. We see each other as a family. We don’t want to shy away from our mottoes and who we are and what we’re aiming for.”
The team hopes Simpson fans show their continuous support this year, and are entertained by their playstyle and tempo.
“I hope Simpson fans are excited to come to the games and get to see some fast-paced, exciting basketball that keeps them on the edge of their seats,” Niemuth said.
