The DePauw women’s basketball team runs a half court drill
during an afternoon practice in Neal Fieldhouse.
SAM CARAVANA / THE DEPAUW
The women’s basketball program at DePauw has long been dominant in the world of Division III basketball; a pattern that looks as if it will be continuing this season.
Currently sitting at a 4-1 record, with the one loss in a close game against Illinois Wesleyan University—final score 75-79—the Tigers are working to improve and look towards the rest of the season with confidence.
“We have had five games against some really good competition,” junior forward Abby Keller said, “some being nationally ranked teams.”
Playing difficult competition early in the season has helped the Tigers learn about themselves as a team.
“[We’ve played] really tough competition that has exposed our weaknesses,” senior Emma Ondik said, “it’s good for us to see.”
Sophomore Taylor Howard agreed, using the Tiger’s only loss as an example. “This past weekend we played Illinois Wesleyan and we lost unfortunately,” she said, “but I would say they were pretty tough because they exposed a lot of our weaknesses that coach had been pointing out. It took a loss for us to truly grasp what coach was saying.”
Beyond learning about their weaknesses, they’ve also been learning about each other and adjusting to the new team dynamic.
“I've really enjoyed the chemistry that we're building on and off the court,” Howard said.
One of the toughest games of the season so far was a grudge match.
“About 2 weeks ago we played in the Wisconsin Lutheran Tournament where we played Wisconsin Whitewater who we lost to last year in the Elite 8 and beat two years ago to win the National Championship,” Howard said.
It was after a tough start to that game that the Tigers felt they turned a corner on their season.
“The first half was pretty rough for us, but once we went to the locker room for halftime and coach helped us re-focus we saw glimpses of how great of a team we can be this year,” Howard said.
First-year Hannah Gardner, even though she wasn’t a part of the team that was knocked out of the playoffs last year, still enjoyed the victory.
“Beating Wisconsin Whitewater, the team that knocked us out of the playoffs last year, was a really fun win,” Gardner said.
The one loss against Illinois Wesleyan, while difficult to swallow for a program so use to winning, didn’t dishearten the Tigers.
“They put on some intense defensive pressure and really crashed the boards hard so we had a tough time playing against them,” Ondik said. “They fought really hard and I definitely hope we see them again throughout the season.”
The biggest news of the beginning of the Tiger’s season, however, was the 500th win of head coach Kris Huffman this past Sunday against Illinois College. After the win, Huffman walked into the locker room to the song “All I Do Is Win” by DJ Khaled blaring, and the team emptied their water bottles on her in celebration.
“Coach Huffman is honestly one of the greatest coaches in the country and I am honored to get to play for her,” Keller said. “It was so great getting to be a part of her 500th win. She puts so much time and effort into this program and to see that effort get rewarded was amazing.”
Huffman, in her 22-year career, is now 500-105 as DePauw’s head coach. Since reaching her 400th win in 2011, the Tigers have gone 100-6.
“I am really happy for Coach, she is a very humble woman and puts her heart and soul into our team,” Howard said. “She holds us at a high standard, which is hard to try and reach everyday, but we all realize that high and intense level of play is what is required in order for us to accomplish our goals. She is a huge part of why I chose to play basketball for DePauw.”
The Tiger’s next home game, this Saturday against The College of Wooster, there will be a ceremony to honor Coach Huffman. According to the DePauw athletic website, there will be a brief ceremony prior to tip-off starting at 12:45 p.m., and after the game there will be a reception in the lobby of the Lilly Center.