Wyoming Cowgirls basketball team is ready for breakout season
LAS VEGAS — The preseason hype train has left the station.
With less than three weeks until the opening of the NCAA Division I women's basketball season, the Mountain West Conference held its annual media days event from the Resorts World Hilton Hotel here. The women took center stage Wednesday where the Wyoming Cowgirls learned they were voted to finish second behind UNLV.
The results of the poll conducted by all 11 head coaches and select members of the media did not come as a surprise to UW head coach Heather Ezell. Following a third-place finish a year ago, Ezell returns all five starters and six seniors. Ezell also added two veteran players via the transfer portal.
It's a group that has played plenty of basketball together. There's talent, there's camaraderie and there's confidence.
"I think the big thing is when you look at who we return and the capabilities that they have, I think there's no doubt we have the opportunity to do really well in conference play," Ezell said. "Now it comes down to executing and believing in that. I think that's one of the biggest things we talk about a bunch is you've got to own it. You can't sit there and say, 'Knock on wood, I hope we can do it.' We've got to own it."
Seniors Allyson Fertig and Emily Mellema represented the Cowgirls at media day and echoed their coach's sentiments. After so much hard work and battles on the court, last year's Great 8 finish in the WNIT isn't good enough.
Not only is more expected, more is desired.
"I think we can go all the way this year," Fertig said. "Once again, that only comes through hard work and being consistent, but I see us being a contender for the Mountain West tournament championship."
Saying it is one thing, believing it another. With three weeks still to be crossed off the calendar before the ball is tossed in the air to tip off the season, Mellema believes the team is focused on "owning it" just as coach Ezell said.
"I think in the grand scheme of things, we start to talk about how we do have the talent and potential to be able to (win the Mountain West) and for us to be able to accomplish that, (we) need to start to own it and buy into that," Mellema said.
Mellema, the Cowgirls' returning point guard, averaged 8.8 points, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals a game last year. She also was a MW first-team All-Defensive selection. Guards Malene Pedersen and Ola Ustowska and forward Tess Barnes round out the returning starters.
"It makes it fun. At the same time, we've still got work to do," Ezell said. "It's not like we were on top of the world last year. Even though we've got all those starters back, we've still got a lot to improve on."
Ezell has her team focused on the simple task of improving with each day as the season nears.
"Right now, the big thing we've been focusing on is just getting a little bit better each day," added Ezell. "We talk about being Cowgirl tough every day and Cowgirl tough means doing all those little things from coming in ready to go no matter whether it's five on zero or five on five; doing things the same way and executing the way we are supposed to."
And if that happens, the hype train will keep right on rolling.
University of Wyoming Sports Reporter
