With only three returning sophomores and a first-year head coach, the Allen Community College womens basketball team has had to make a lot of adjustments heading into the 2018-19 season.
Despite that work, head coach Rachel Janzen, an assistant under previous head coach Todd Buchanan, is very much enjoying the process and the steady improvement that her team has made over the offseason.
Things have been great so far, Janzen said. Im really loving it. Weve got them rolling. Im excited about where were at. We have a lot of freshmen but we have a few sophomores and theyre all buying into what were doing.
Last year, the Lady Devils struggled to a 7-24 overall record and this year, theyre not picked to do much better, coming in last in the KJCCC preseason coaches poll.
With hype not behind them, the Lady Devils look internally to what could be one of the better sophomores in the league in Jakira Wilson and a group of talented freshmen.
Wilson has been putting in the work throughout the offseason after putting up 9.8 points a game throughout her freshman year.
Shes gotten a lot stronger, Janzen said. Shes probably doubled her size over the summer in just muscle. She can get to the basket even better now and has a quicker first step if thats even possible.
After Wilson, Janzen will look to several of her new players led by Gabby Guzman of Moore, Okla. and Ariel Walker of Ozark, Ark. to help pick up the scoring mantle for the Lady Devils.
I think its going to be a freshman, Janzen said when asked to name a player who was going to have a breakout season. Gabby and Ariel are really working well with each other and I expect them to do good things. They came in with so many credits that they may be here for only one year so Im expecting them to do what theyve got to do here and then move on to the four-year level.
Janzen also expects Galenas Paige Jensen to produce, especially from behind the arc and sophomore transfer Tunmi Amusa to be a force on the block.
They know their roles, Janzen said. Weve been mixing and matching all of the players to try and find the best chemistry and we probably have five different line-ups that we can work with which is great. We have options.
The development of positive chemistry will be key for this team after last seasons disappointment.
Last year our chemistry was not good, Janzen said. So this year were really focusing on some team bonding stuff and getting people to buy into what were doing. Our sophomores are leading and bringing the freshmen on what my expectations are from last year.
The Lady Devils will open their season at home with the Allen Classic versus Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa on Friday at 5 p.m. Theyll then play Bacone College on Saturday at 5 p.m.
