Coach Jeff Dillon stands and counts the players out on the court, while the Sinclair Community College women’s basketball team practices. With all the injuries to the team in this young season he’s not used to having a full roster.
“At the beginning of the season we would have never had a full team during practice like we do now,” Dillon said. “I would walk into practice with a full plan and the trainer may come over and tell me that I only have five players to work with today; it was tough but this team has worked hard to get through it.”
The perseverance this team has showed helped them to a 9-2 record so far even though they could only play six or seven players in some games.
“We had a couple games where a number of players had to play close to a full game because of the lack of a bench,” Dillon said.
Even with playing very shorthanded at the beginning of the season, Sinclair is ranked 12th in the nation in scoring with 81 points per game.
“We’re an up tempo team with a very balance attack,” Dillon said. “Every one of our players is talented, they are all playing and contributing.”
Although the team may be scoring in bunches, Dillon believes that the strength of the team comes on the defensive end.
Coach Dillon likes to run a full-court press with his team, which has paid dividends during the season. Sinclair’s women are giving up an average of 63 points a game, which is an average of 18 points less than what they score per game. In a game against Miami Middletown, Sinclair caused 42 turnovers.
“We press on a made basket very quickly. I have pressed full court more with this team than with any team in a long time,” Dillon said. “Many coaches have told me that they can’t get the ball up against our defense which shows the hard work our team puts in to get the job done.”
Some teams may come complacent with success, but that should not be a problem with this team, according to Dillon.
“We have great team chemistry, this may be one of the closest teams I have coached,” Dillon said. “They hold each other accountable and are always ready to work.”
One of the skills Dillon continues to work on with his team is rebounding. Dillon wants the team to rebound better so they can get extra possessions throughout the game.
“Our team does not have a lot of height so we have to hustle and get in the right position to rebound the ball,” he said.
Dillon believes this team had the talent level to go far and do great things this season.
“It’s right in front of us for the taking,” Dillon said. “If we can stay healthy and our girls continue to do well in the classroom we should have the opportunity to go far this season.”
The bulk of Sinclair’s women’s home games are in the second half of the season and Dillon wants students to know that if they come to a game they will be watching great competition and leave entertained.
“We have a very exciting and explosive team,” Dillon said. “I like to have teams that can not only win but entertain as well. I believe if people come to watch our games they won’t leave disappointed.”