{"id":288569,"date":"2025-10-09T06:35:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-09T06:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/288569\/"},"modified":"2025-10-09T06:35:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T06:35:12","slug":"womens-basketball-ready-to-rise-in-wcc-the-spectator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/288569\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Basketball Ready to Rise in WCC \u2013 The Spectator"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seattle U\u2019s Women\u2019s Basketball team held an open practice Oct. 2, allowing supporters to get a first glimpse of the team as they start a new era: their first season competing in the West Coast Conference (WCC). Young sees the switch to the WCC as a statement rather than just a change in competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The Seattle U Women\u2019s Basketball Team gathers for a cheer. (Lesli Perez)<\/p>\n

\u201cI truly believe it\u2019s the best basketball conference on the West Coast,\u201d Seattle U Women\u2019s Basketball Head Coach Skylar Young said. \u201cWe\u2019re going in there to compete because that\u2019s what you do in that league.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Redhawks roster has changed significantly. A number of international recruits and experienced transfers join the three players who return from last season. Young claimed that the combination of skills, backgrounds and personalities has already made the team solid despite the turnover.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a veteran squad,\u201d Young said. \u201cEven though some of them are new to college basketball, a lot of our international players have played on club or pro teams. Their basketball IQ and work ethic will set us apart.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chloe Emanga<\/a>, a freshman guard, is one of those newcomers. After playing in the European Championship, Emanga arrived in Seattle later than her teammates, but she claimed that her peers made the adjustment simple.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so excited that the games start soon,\u201d Emanga said.\u201dWe\u2019ve been practicing hard, and I love Seattle and this team. It really felt like family when I met the coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her goal for her first college season is to play hard, adjust quickly and make an impact wherever she can. Emanga was unable to visit campus before committing, but she said she chose Seattle U because of the connections she built during the recruiting process.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Coach Young reached out, he seemed like such a genuine person, and once I got here, everything just felt right,\u201d Emanga said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lucy Larson<\/a>, a returning sophomore guard, said the team\u2019s chemistry is the biggest difference from last year. After a challenging previous season, Larson said the new group has brought a contagious energy.<\/p>\n

\"\"(From left to right) Tamia Stricklin, Jana Vesic, Andjela Bigovic and Lucija Milkovic pose
for a picture after practice. (Lesli Perez)<\/p>\n

\u201cI love this group of girls,\u201d Lason said. \u201cWe\u2019re having so much fun, and we\u2019re gonna take over the WCC.\u201d<\/p>\n

Larson believes that moving into a new conference has motivated the team to raise their level of play. Practices are faster, communication is sharper and the sense of purpose is clear.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be really competitive,\u201d Larson said. \u201cOur new players are tall, can shoot and play well together. My goal is to win games, accomplish our team goals, and enjoy the ride as a group.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dylan Mogel<\/a>, a freshman guard, shares that team-first mentality. According to Mogel, the program\u2019s values of trust and selflessness were what most impressed her about Seattle U.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe system we play in is super fun; it lets everyone share the ball and play freely,\u201d Mogel said. \u201cEveryone\u2019s unselfish, and I think our chemistry off the court is going to show on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mogel said her relationship with Young and the intimate feel of the university, due to its smaller size, were key factors in her decision to commit. Her goal is to do whatever it takes for the team to win.<\/p>\n

As a coach, Young said that kind of chemistry can\u2019t be forced; it develops naturally when players genuinely enjoy being around one another.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I try to plan activities, they\u2019ve already done them together,\u201d Young said. \u201cThat\u2019s the kind of continuity that shows up on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Seattle U Women\u2019s Basketball players gathered on the court. (Lesli Perez)<\/p>\n

With only three returners, including Senior Forward Tamia Stricklin, leadership will be crucial. The returning players are determined not to repeat last year\u2019s struggles and have already set a higher standard for accountability and effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There is a lot of hope as the team gets ready to start their first WCC season. Young prioritizes being consistent, competitive and proudly representing the university and city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur main goal is to compete every single game and put a product out here that makes Seattle U proud,\u201d Young said. \u201cWe\u2019re the university of this city, and we want to represent that every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new conference. A new roster. A new feeling of purpose. The Redhawks are not only starting over, but they\u2019re starting something new.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Seattle U\u2019s Women\u2019s Basketball team held an open practice Oct. 2, allowing supporters to get a first glimpse…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":288570,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[1339,1317,1337,1338,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-288569","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-basketball","11":"tag-ncaabasketball","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115342824733826528","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288569\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/288570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}