The Lobo women’s basketball team got on its feet and on the court inside of the Rudy Davalos Basketball Center for its first official practice this season.
And, to put it in perspective, New Mexico had a practice, which looked eerily similar to something we will see on the court this season according to head coach Mike Bradbury — a small, but gritty, fast-paced team.
“I really like our athleticism and speed,” Bradbury said, according to the Albuquerque Journal. “If we can find a way to harness all that, we’ll be good.”
This season, the Lobos’ lineup has turned itself to the next chapter of Bradbury’s smaller run-and-gun style of play.
New Mexico’s tallest player eligible for the 2017-18 season is 6'3" forward Jaisa Nunn who is rehabbing an ACL she tore earlier this year while playing in a game against Northern New Mexico.
The Lobos also boast a 6'2'' center, Erika Moore, though she sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. She last played during the 2014-15 season for Purdue.
But, on Monday afternoon, it was some of the Lobos’ new recruits who seemed to put their stamp on the new version of this New Mexico team.
Roswell native and New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year Jaedyn De La Cerda — who’s a freshman out of Roswell High School — seemed to fit right in with the style of play. Her position as guard will demand shooting threes at a high level and playing aggressively on both sides of the ball.
As for the Lobos’ starting point guard last season, Cherise Beynon, her command of Bradbury’s scheme seems to have not left her. Quite frankly, she might have been the best player on the court Monday.
Tesha Buck hardly showed any signs of first practice jitters. She also didn’t record any minutes on the court last season while she sat out her transfer year, clearly showing signs of true leadership in this version of Lobo basketball. The 6-foot senior also has a smooth and controlled shooting form — something the Lobos can certainly use this season.
When it comes to other Lobo newcomers like freshman guards N’Dea Flye, Madi Washington and Antonia Anderson, they, too, showed positive signs in their first practice.
On Monday, the Lobos engaged in one-on-one box out training, defensive switches, among other fundamental basketball drills.
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However, the team also scrimmaged against Lobo assistants for a short time — the team showed signs of aggressiveness and intensity, an indication of how hard this team plans on playing this year.
That intensity is something Flye noticed too, as the freshman seemed to enjoy her first practice.
“I’m excited about it. The effort and energy were all there. This can be an exciting team,” Flye said in an interview with the Albuquerque Journal.
The Lobos could be in for an exciting season as they begin to lay the foundation to build on in the upcoming season.
Matthew Narvaiz is a senior sports reporter for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers baseball and men’s and women’s basketball but also contributes content for football. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @matt_narvaiz.
