Even a dwindling team roster and the head coach on medical leave couldn’t hold back the Sinclair’s women’s basketball team from escaping the first half of the regular season on a positive note.
The team has produced a winning record despite only having a roster of six players, an almost unheard of feat.
“The first couple games were rough, we had to use every timeout, every game,” said assistant coach Jessica Threats. “But now, they’ve adjusted and their endurance has built up. And its probably one the reasons we’ve been beating teams because teams can’t sub out players fast enough.”
Threats said that although the team has been short handed, the team isn’t looking for any other players this far into the season.
“We’re probably going to add one more player, seven is better than six,” said Threats. “We tried to see if any volleyball players or if anyone wanted to play but no one wanted to come help out.”
With every player on the team averaging around 38 minutes a game, according to Threats, some of the players have produced nationally ranked stat lines.
Brandy McDaniel is ranked 24th in the nation with 19 points and 10 rebounds a game. And Danielle Forrer is ranked 7th in the nation in assists with 6.5 a game.
The team overall shoots 35 percent from the three-point line, and the team averages 75 points a game, according to Threats.
Threats said the team philosophy is to get it out of the net and up the court to keep the game up-tempo and exciting.
As for head coach Jeff Dillon, he has now returned to the team despite his heath condition, which he says has finally been diagnosed properly.
“The thing about this team is they have a certain chemistry to their play,” said Dillon. “They are so well in tune with each other and I think that’s why they’ve been playing so well despite all the adversity.”
Dillon also credits coach Threats for the job she has done in his absence.
“I can’t say enough about the way she has handled everything while I was out,” said Dillon.
The team will begin conference play on Jan. 14 at home, against Owens Community College, who is a national powerhouse in almost every sport they compete in.
“That’s always our goal, to play well in conference,” said Dillon.
The game against Owens opens up a 12 game slate of conference games to close out the season heading into the District XII tournament.