Women’s basketball champion Huskies look to defend 2019 title

Thomaidis said after such a long hiatus with no competition, getting back into the swing of things will be a lot harder than one might think.

“We have to be really careful and safe there, so we’re not putting people at risk of injury. We had a large turnover, we lost a lot of key players due to fifth-year graduations after nationals and then lost a bunch more fifth years last year due to the pandemic and just being done with their academics,” Thomaidis explained.

And with that turnover comes big responsibility – not just for her veterans, but for her newcomers as well.

“We’re going to have a very different looking roster. We’re going to have a few mainstays that were key players with our title, but definitely looking for some new players to step in and play a pretty big role for us.”

Those big roles will be amplified this year, especially with all eyes on a team that still holds the title of defending champions.

“There’s a lot to rebound from last year. When you win a national championship there’s the threat of being a bit complacent, the target is on your back and everyone is gunning for you and everyone is very motivated and yet we’re the one’s kind of fighting to stay on top,” Thomidis said.

“It’s harder to stay on top of the mountain than it is to climb it. For us, we’re trying to do that with a different roster and coming off a pandemic.”

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by Ben Tompkins

Women’s basketball champion Huskies look to defend 2019 title

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