The Bakersfield College women’s basketball team comes into this season looking to bounce back from a bad season.
The Renegades finished last season with a record of 3-25 overall and 1-11 in the Western State Conference.
“Last season was a really tough year. We had one sophomore and all freshmen,” head coach Paula Dahl said.
“This year, our returners have seen a completely different year because they are sophomores.”
Dahl added, “I told my sophomores, ‘You are sophomores now. You need to step up and be leaders.’ They have worked really hard and conditioned hard. That’s what’s going to pay off for us.”
The sophomores on the team are Kristin Alvidrez, Ashley Hiriarte, Nicole Lopez, Sarah Stockton and Jacquelyn Rodriguez.
Dahl mentioned that the guard play will be the strength of the team this year but added that the Renegades also have strong shooters.
“I am actually coaching some stuff I have never coached before,” she said. “I’ve changed a lot of my philosophies to counter the fact that we have great shooters.”
Another reason why Dahl has changed her philosophies is because of the lack of height.
Dahl said that the Renegades have been working on their defense in practice.
“We’ve been spending a ton of time on defense and trying to teach them how to pressure,” said Dahl. “We’re in that process where we’ve been practicing for so long it’s just time to wait and see what’s going to happen when we get to a game.”
Dahl said that this year’s team is more athletic than last season’s team.
“We have more athleticism than we did last year. We’ve got kids who are not afraid to take it to the hole. It doesn’t matter how big the people are inside. They’re not afraid to take it in. That’s not a bad thing,” Dahl said.
The Renegades will open up the season by participating in the San Diego Mesa Tournament Nov. 7-9, which is something that Dahl feels will be a good thing for her team.
“We open up against Fullerton. They’re very good. It will be a great challenge for us,” she said. “We’re playing some of the top teams in the state to get started with, which will be great learning and letting them see what we are really talking about.”
The Renegades first home game will be Nov. 21 against Rio Hondo at 5 p.m. in the Gil Bishop Sports Center.
“My biggest goal is for these kids to have success. For my sophomores and freshmen to understand that hard work does pay off, and staying consistent for 40 minutes and not getting caught up in the ebbs and flows of the game but just to stay consistent with what you are doing is good. In the end, you will have success,” Dahl said. “We’ve told them that if you do what we ask you to do, then you’ll be in a position to win night in and night out.”