Up Next
Friday: Lobo Howl, 6-9 p.m. (Women’s portion 7-8, men’s portion 8-9)
Location: The Pit
Arriving at the Pit: A reminder that fans cannot access The Pit from Exit 223 Avenida Cesar Chavez. Fans from the north should use Exit 224 Lead/Coal, and fans from the south should use Exit 222 Gibson.
By Greg Archuleta
UNM Assistant Director of Communications
Yvonne Sanchez enters the 2014-15 women’s basketball season trying to find the right balance.
The fourth-year University of New Mexico coach doesn’t want to dwell too much on an antagonizing 2013-14 season, in which her team was 3-12 in games decided by eight points or fewer, but she also knows that those who don’t learn history are doomed to repeat it.
The Lobos went 11-19 last season and lost in the first round of the Mountain West tournament to Utah State after holding an 11-point first-half lead.
That team, however, also lost not one, not two, not three, but four players 6 feet or taller to injuries at various points in the season – two were done before the season started, one was gone after three games.
But that statistic is meaningless to Sanchez.
“We offer absolutely no excuses for anything; we just don’t,” Sanchez said, emphatically. “We had to get a little tougher last year; we had to finish games. But at the same time, we got a little smarter.
“I don’t want to put too much emphasis on last year and what we did or didn’t do. It’s a new team; it’s a new era for us. We learned from those losses. I don’t necessarily think we have to continue to bring them up. Our kids are ready for a new beginning.”
But that doesn’t necessarily equate to a new approach on Sanchez’s part. She insists no magic formulas exist in helping her team get over the hump in crunch time, other than through experience and practice.
“If you start getting away from what your philosophy and what you believe in, then you’re in trouble,” Sanchez said. “You can’t let a season like last year make you panic. It was just one of those seasons. Every coach in the country has been through them.”
Sanchez isn’t batting an eye because she knows the path through success goes preparation.
“Your belief is in your preparation,” Sanchez said. “You can’t all of a sudden believe you’re going to win on the day of the game or in the last five minutes of the game. That’s too late. You have to prepare them to the best of your ability so that when the game situations come – whatever they might be – they are prepared. That’s our job as coaches; we have to get them ready for that.
“Our kids believe.”
Sanchez has plenty of reason for optimism.
Two of her 6-footers return in Ebony Walker and Kianna Keller.
Walker, the transfer from Texas Tech, by way of Sandia High School, will be at full strength after suffering a season-ending torn Achilles’ tendon three games into last season. She averaged 10.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in her three games before the injury and has been motivated to come back strong for her senior season.
“I try to have high energy and stay positive because I know I can’t my injury from last year slow us down this year,” Walker said. “As hard as I’ve been working, I really want to help the team this year. I have to go hard every day and just be there for my team, mentally and physically.”
Walker’s presence should help fellow inside players in junior Khadijah Shumpert (10.9 points per game, 6.0 rebounds per game) and sophomore Keller (4.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg), the Lobos outside shooters and, especially, senior guard Antiesha Brown (14.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg).
“Ebony has to understand that she can’t try to do too much,” Sanchez said. “But she’s getting to understand that she doesn’t have to do everything because she has a great team around her. Ebony can bring in the true post what Dionne Marsh (UNM’s all-time leading scorer) did – draw two or three defenders and kick it out to our shooters. Our shooters were so good from the outside that Dionne found herself one-on-one and always scored.
“I think Ebony will have similar opportunities once we start hitting shots from the outside.”
At the very least, Walker’s presence will prevent opponents from doubling on Brown, an honorable-mention All-MW whom Sanchez said played like a first-teamer.
“Tiesh had a really good season last year; we just didn’t have a good year,” Sanchez said. “And when you don’t have a good year, you don’t get a lot of first-team all-conference players, regardless of how good your kid is.”
Sanchez is more hopeful about the Clovis native’s chances this season.
“With the depth we have now, people aren’t going to be able to key on Tiesh like they did last year,” Sanchez. “I just don’t think they can do that now.”
And as hungry as Walker is to get back onto the court, Brown is as anxious to wash away the any lingering recollections of last season.
“Speaking for myself and a few others on the team, it was hard,” Brown said. “It was hard pulling through (a season), having leads in the last four minutes and losing them in the last for minutes. I know for a lot of us, we’re looking forward to closing out games this year. We usually get off to a good start, and that’s fine, but it’s time for us to start finishing games.”
The Lobos think they have the talent to do that from the outside as well as the inside.
Point guards Bryce Owens, a junior team captain, and sophomore Brooke Allemand have worked hard in the offseason to refine their shooting and their court awareness. Incoming freshman Laneah Bryan adds depth – as well as competition in practice.
“Bryce and Brooke have improved a great deal,” Sanchez said. “Bryce’s decision-making has gotten better. Her shot’s better. Her leadership has gotten a lot better. Brooke came in and really worked on her outside shot, and her ball-handling has greatly improved. She has to continue to work on making better decisions.
“Laneah is pushing both of them. She’s smart, physical, tough and she’s even-keeled. She has the demeanor of a Katie Montgomery (a first-team All-MW player in 2007). She doesn’t show any emotion; she just goes and goes. She doesn’t quite yet have the shot that Katie had, but she’ll improve.” (continued below)
2014-15 Lobo Women’s Basketball Roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Yr. | Exp |
| 0 | Cherise Beynon | G | 5-10 | Fr. | HS |
| 1 | Brooke Allemand | G | 5-4 | So. | 1L |
| 2 | Kenya Pye | G | 5-8 | Fr. | HS |
| 3 | Josie Greenwood | F | 5-11 | So. | 1L |
| 4 | Alex Lapeyrolerie | G | 5-11 | So. | 1L |
| 11 | Alexa Chavez | F | 6-0 | Jr. | 2L |
| 12 | Bryce Owens | G | 5-4 | Jr. | 2L |
| 13 | Khadijah Shumpert | F | 6-0 | Jr. | 2L |
| 15 | Antiesha Brown | G | 5-10 | Sr. | 2L |
| 21 | Marissa Perry | G | 5-4 | So. | 1L |
| 24 | Jayda Bovero | G | 5-11 | Fr. | HS |
| 25 | Laneah Bryan | G | 5-6 | Fr. | HS |
| 31 | Brea Mitchell | G | 5-10 | Jr. | 2L |
| 32 | Kianna Keller | F | 6-4 | So. | 1L |
| 33 | Maddie Muraida | C | 6-2 | Sr. | 3L |
| 42 | Ebony Walker | C | 6-2 | Sr. | RS |
*Lapeyrolerie will redshirt in 2014-15
Bryan is just one-fourth of what could be the “Fantastic Four” freshmen to contribute to the 2014-15 program.
“We’re really excited about our freshmen class,” Sanchez said of a group that also includes guards Cherise Beynon, Jayda Bovero and Kenya Pye. “They complement each other really well. It’s going to be nice with the team that we have that we don’t have to give them too much too soon.
“Cherise is just an all-around great player. She really loves basketball and you can tell. She can shoot the 3, she can rebound, she can get to the basket.
“Jayda just brings a toughness, a physical attribute we haven’t had in a while,” Sanchez adds. “She can shoot the 3 and can rebound like crazy. She brings a mindset that I really like.
“Kenya is going to be a sleeper. She can defend the heck out of the ball. She’s going to do what the defense gives her and the offense gives her. There might a game where she gets four or five shots because she’s the one left open, and she’s going to take advantage. She can bring the ball down the court and defend the 1 and 2 positions.”
The other departure, perhaps from previous years is the depth this year’s team bring to the court on a daily basis.
Junior guard Brea Mitchell is a fearless shooter that is working hard on becoming an all-around player, Sanchez says. Junior forward Alexa Chavez has a non-stop motor whose energy on the court is infectious.
Sophomore forward Josie Greenwood is an integral member of the team, Sanchez says, because “she does all the little things right.”
Sanchez said she’s encouraged by the fact that her bench isn’t an entity that she is forced to manage simply to give her starters a rest.
“Substituting with confidence is a big deal,” she said. “It’s not having to play somebody extended minutes in the game and knowing that whomever you sub out, you’re not going to have a drop-off. You might even gain some momentum or points or whatever it might be. We now have players that have vast roles, and it’s going to be fun to watch.”
How much fun remains to be seen. Naturally, Sanchez isn’t about to start predicting wins and losses. She just wants her team to get better daily, and the rest will take care of itself.
And if that weren’t enough optimism, the Lobos aren’t exactly starting practice for the 2014-15 season from scratch. They were able to get in 10 practices in the summer for their four-game exhibition in Italy. It was a trip that brought the team closer together on and off the court – the experience itself creating a lifetime of memories.
For UNM to have a successful 2014-15, Brown said, the memories can’t be limited to the Italy trip.
“Me being a senior, I want moments, and I want wins,” she said. “Obviously, the wins will be a big part of those moments. But I think if we can make enough good memories throughout the season, it could be a really good year.”
Those are the kind of recollections the team won’t mind dwelling on.