UIndy women’s basketball aims to improve under second year staff

Coming off an 8-20 season, the UIndy women’s basketball team knows they have room to improve. With a renewed focus on development and chemistry, the Greyhounds are determined to turn things around.

“We’re going to have great energy this year,” sophomore Heaven Thompson said. “The energy has skyrocketed. It’s so much fun to be around us, and I think people watching will feed off that, especially in the crowd. We are a very different team this year, and I think we’ll be a lot more exciting to watch. So I hope we get some support and some fans in the stands.”

Assistant coach Darion Hutchinson admitted that the team lacked on defense last season, which ranked 185 out of 289 in opponent’s points per game, according to the NCAA.

“We have had to change things up a little bit, we want to be more of a defensive oriented team,” Hutchinson said. “We’ve really been focusing on defense and fast break. That’s all we’ve done in practice.”

One of the top defenders on the team is Amyrah Sapenter, who led the team in steals last season, according to UIndy Athletics. 

“Amyra ended up coming back to us, she was granted an extra year (of eligibility),” Hutchinson said. “She sets the tone when she’s out there with her defense, which is what we’re trying to get everybody else to follow along with.”

The Hounds return three of their top four scorers, including leading scorer Patricia Chikamba. With only three newcomers on the entire team, chemistry and building team culture have been emphasized throughout the offseason. 

“I truly believe that the group we have this year is very special,” Thompson said. “Most of us spent all of last year here together. Being together has not only helped us on the court, but also developing outside connections with other players and coaches makes us feel more comfortable.”

Both Thompson and Hutchinson stated that they are looking forward to conference games, specifically Lewis and Drury. Both finished first and second respectively in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) last season, according to the GLVC.

“Both of those schools are typically good, which gives us incentive to beat them,” Hutchinson said. “On top of that, one of my dear friends just took over the head job at Lewis, and I want to beat him.”

The Greyhounds open up their season on Nov. 14 as they travel to Ashland University to take on the Eagles. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. eastern time.