Gav: shallow, short and susceptible
They haven’t won a game this season. They have only seven
players remaining on the roster and the tallest player of the bunch
stands 5-foot-9.
While it’s not exactly the best scenario for a women’s
basketball team, things were even worse a year ago for the Gavilan
Rams.
Gav: shallow, short and susceptible
They haven’t won a game this season. They have only seven players remaining on the roster and the tallest player of the bunch stands 5-foot-9.
While it’s not exactly the best scenario for a women’s basketball team, things were even worse a year ago for the Gavilan Rams.
“A year ago we didn’t have enough players and had to cancel the season,” said Gavilan’s second-year coach Steve Nemeth. “We’re not winning this year but it’s not for a lack of trying.”
What has plagued the team is its small roster size, which has forced a number of players to stay on the court for entire games with little or no rest. The result is a number of close games in the opening half that become more lopsided as play goes on and players tire.
“I’d really like to have 12 players, or at least 10,” Nemeth said. “Then I could rotate more in and out. Without being able to rotate it’s tough to keep pressing. Right now we have some players getting more fatigued than others.”
And that fatigue is not only coming in game situations. Since all of the players on the Rams’ roster also hold afternoon and evening jobs in addition to their school and basketball commitments, Nemeth has had to hold all team practices this year at 6 a.m.
“It was the only way for us to practice together,” Nemeth said. “But it’s hard on the team to get up at 5:30 in the morning to get ready for practice.”
Experience is a concern, as only one of Nemeth’s players was a fulltime starter in high school, which means that he has had to keep the playbook simple against a number of powerhouse teams that have rosters that are full of talent and experience.
“I keep it real simple now. We don’t use the fast break,” Nemeth said. “We do a lot of screen and roll and pass and cut away and use a three-two zone. When we play within these bounds, we have had some success. When we start getting into the running game, we lose it.”
But not all has been grim this season.
Freshman point guard Shante Mancera, who played her high school ball for Gilroy, has been averaging 10 points a game as has Anzar High alumni Erika Rodriguez.
While former San Benito High player Johni Kiesewetter has averaged just five points a game at the guard position, she has played solid defense for the Rams, picking up a number of steals and rebounds – and she is only 5-foot-5.
“Even though we’re small, we play hard,” Nemeth said. “And we’re getting closer (to getting a win). We are starting to lose by smaller margins against teams that are more athletic and have more experience than us.”
So far all of the Rams losses have been in nonconference games. Play in the Coast Conference doesn’t get underway until Jan. 18 when the Rams travel to San Francisco for a showdown with City College of San Francisco.
Gavilan’s first conference home game takes place on Jan. 27 against DeAnza. Game time is 7 p.m.
