A season ago, the New Mexico women’s basketball team overcame adversity to finish second in the conference with an NIT bid. This year, the Lobos have their sights set higher.
The 2014-15 campaign saw a preseason ranking of ninth, the loss of UNM’s only true center and a shaky 1-7 start in head coach Yvonne Sanchez’s contract year. Yet the team finished second in the Mountain West and made it to the MW Championship game.
This year, the squad feels that the conference will be gunning for them, rather than considering them an underdog.
“We have the expectations set pretty high now. We know what to expect,” point guard Cherise Beynon said. “We feel that we are being the hunted, not the hunters.”
While Sanchez would like to add a conference title to her resume, the head coach said her team’s goals don’t change from year to year.
“If we go out and work hard and get better every single day, then the rest will take care of itself,” Sanchez said. “I don’t want to sit there and push conference championship or NCAA Tournament; that will take care of itself.”
Although the goals haven’t changed, Sanchez said the start of practice this year has been different from last year and from years past.
“Unfortunately, having to coach effort was something that happened,” Sanchez said. “It’s just nice that this year we don’t have to. It’s a group that wants to be good.”
The Lobos parted with two bench players in junior Brooke Alemand and senior Brea Mitchell. However, their departures haven’t affected the squad’s work ethic.
Sanchez said the team’s newest additions have been impressive, and she feels that she is going to find key individuals to step up in lieu of New Mexico’s former offensive powerhouse and team leader Antiesha Brown.
“Getting the freshmen up to speed is the most important,” Sanchez said. “They are going to have to contribute, and they will.”
After a solid freshman campaign, Beynon said she is not worried by the loss of a key component to the team’s offense because she has seen the work put forth by the team’s two senior captains.
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“I think we’re all just trying to step up this year to accommodate her being gone,” Beynon said. “It’s a little bit of a big hit, but we have our two captains Bryce (Owens) and Khadijah (Shumpert) doing a really good job.”
The team has been forced to start the season without forward Alexa Chavez. The senior has had to watch practices from the sideline after having foot surgery, but Sanchez said she doesn’t see the foot injury affecting Chavez’s ability to jump back into the rotation by the first game of the season.
With Chavez set to be available by the first game of the season, in addition to last year’s three returning starters, UNM will look to repeat last season’s successful run.
“We have high expectations this year,” Beynon said. “We want to get to where we were last year, and hopefully win it this time.”
Although practice is nearly two weeks in, New Mexico’s fan base will get its first look at the 2015-2016 team at the Lobo Howl on Friday night, with gates opening at 6 p.m.
New voice for women’s hoops
Lobo Sports Properties announced on Wednesday that Josh Suchon will now be the play-by-play voice of UNM women’s basketball for 610 KNML. Suchon will continue to be the voice of the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Colorado Rockies’ AAA affiliate, in addition to the Lobo women’s basketball job.
Suchon is replacing Joe Behrend, who had covered the women’s hoops team for the past 10 seasons.
“I’m honored to have this opportunity,” Suchon said in a statement. “Coach Sanchez has already made me feel welcome. I’m really looking forward to a season that has all the makings of something special.”
Suchon has previously been affiliated with several other play-by-play duties including ESPNU, ESPN3, Los Angeles Dodgers Radio and UC Santa Barbara.
Liam Cary-Eaves is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at assistantsports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Liam_CE.
