2008 Woodie Awards
Women's basketball team falls on hard times, confidence still in place
Jay Christie
Issue date: 2/6/08 Section: Sports
It is no secret that the Florida A&M University's women's basketball team has been experiencing a slump, but the team is ready to turn it around.
Coached by Debra Clark, the Lady Rattlers have now played 20 games this season. The team has lost 10 games but has also won 10, which makes the slump seem a little better. Team members said the slump is below average. However, all agreed that with basketball, you win some and you lose some.
The Lady Rattlers played at Winston-Salem State University Saturday and won, ending an eight-game losing streak. However, the team lost by nine points to South Carolina State on Monday.
Stephanie Foster, 20, a forward and guard, said the recent loss was dissatisfying.
"They weren't necessarily a hard team," said Foster, a junior broadcast journalism student from Ohio. "We were just undersized and they took advantage of the match-up,"
The Ohio native said she was confident of future wins but the team would have to adjust certain things.
"Still, I believe we can overcome the slump because many of the games we lost were when we were winning at half time," Foster said. "So in that case, we have to play hard for the entire game as opposed to just staying strong in one half."
Foster, who recorded a career high five blocks in the game, said the Lady Rattlers can overcome the slump. The head coach shared her sentiments. Clark said the slump has been disappointing, but the team can pull though it.
"The slump has been tough," Clark said. "The team started out well this season. We were nine and one. However, things have happened and tragedies have come into play. We'll work through it. We made a few mistakes down the stretch but we'll survive."
Clark has been coaching the team for seven years and she said the experience has been very rewarding.
"It's fun," Clark said. "Of course, it's a lot more fun when we're winning. Sometimes things don't go your way, but we've won a lot of games during our tenure."
Coached by Debra Clark, the Lady Rattlers have now played 20 games this season. The team has lost 10 games but has also won 10, which makes the slump seem a little better. Team members said the slump is below average. However, all agreed that with basketball, you win some and you lose some.
The Lady Rattlers played at Winston-Salem State University Saturday and won, ending an eight-game losing streak. However, the team lost by nine points to South Carolina State on Monday.
Stephanie Foster, 20, a forward and guard, said the recent loss was dissatisfying.
"They weren't necessarily a hard team," said Foster, a junior broadcast journalism student from Ohio. "We were just undersized and they took advantage of the match-up,"
The Ohio native said she was confident of future wins but the team would have to adjust certain things.
"Still, I believe we can overcome the slump because many of the games we lost were when we were winning at half time," Foster said. "So in that case, we have to play hard for the entire game as opposed to just staying strong in one half."
Foster, who recorded a career high five blocks in the game, said the Lady Rattlers can overcome the slump. The head coach shared her sentiments. Clark said the slump has been disappointing, but the team can pull though it.
"The slump has been tough," Clark said. "The team started out well this season. We were nine and one. However, things have happened and tragedies have come into play. We'll work through it. We made a few mistakes down the stretch but we'll survive."
Clark has been coaching the team for seven years and she said the experience has been very rewarding.
"It's fun," Clark said. "Of course, it's a lot more fun when we're winning. Sometimes things don't go your way, but we've won a lot of games during our tenure."
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