With 10 newcomers on the Baker University women’s basketball team, second-year head coach Ben Lister looks to improve its last place ranking in the Heart of America Athletic Conference this year.
“This is definitely a transition year for us,” Lister said. “Last year, we struggled. We were looking for a group that wanted to do what they needed to, to be successful and were bought in to the program. We feel like we’ve got that with the group of returners and have added some pieces to hopefully continue to enhance the program and put us in the position to compete for a conference championship.”
Although 10 new faces on a team can be a bit overwhelming, the team took time last summer break to work out some of the kinks that come along when adjusting to the collegiate level of athletics.
“We were able to get over the awkwardness of getting to know each other in June, which has benefited us,” Lister said. “The last couple of months have been more intense and focused in our work ethic and we’ve been able to speed up the process, hopefully making us more prepared to start the year.”
While getting minutes on the court is a matter of importance for athletes, Lister thinks playing time won’t be a cause for concern and that his team has the right mindset.
“The kids being bought into the program are more worried about the team being successful than they are about themselves and with that mentality we will be alright.”
Lister is proud of the multi-dimensional players he has found for this new team, and he is fully confident in their depth and capability to reach their goals this season.
Specifically, Lister wants the team to gain the expectations of being an elite program by using set principles to make improvements to a team that was plagued with turnovers last year.
“We need to take better care of the basketball, so one of the principles is to treat the ball as if it were gold,” Lister said. “Along with that, we need to be a better defensive team. We scored the ball fairly efficiently last year. I don’t think scoring was really the reason we struggled to win games. It was getting stops. I think we’ve recruited talent that can play offense. It’s getting those kids to play 40 minutes on the other end of the court as well that we’re really trying to improve upon.”
Lister looks to Alishia Fanshier and Sherece Huddlin, the only two seniors, for leadership among the team.
Fanshier, a 5-foot 8-inch guard, averaged 15 points and about 4.5 rebounds per game for Baker last year. She shot 80 percent at the free throw line and is extremely versatile on the offensive end. Lister believes her background and experience in being a four-year starter is valuable to the team’s success.
Huddlin transferred from the University of Nebraska at Omaha to finish her collegiate basketball career as a forward for the Wildcats. Lister believes her energy, intensity and enthusiasm will all contribute to improving the team’s level of play.
Lister is excited about this season as he thinks it will be much different than last year. He hopes to get support from fans and the student body as the team represents Baker to the best of its ability.
“Our mentality right now is to come work hard every day, and every day we want to get better than we were the day before,” Lister said. “If we can keep the approach that simple and that focused, we feel that the positive results will come.”
