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<\/a>Last year was not an easy one for the women\u2019s basketball team, as they came in second to last with 7 wins to 17 losses, but Broekhuizen has a balanced mindset looking forward to the new season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say definitely [there were] some games that we should have won when it came down to the wire, just in high-pressure situations,\u201d she says. \u201cLike, we\u2019ve got a little taste of it last year, and we\u2019re feeling pretty strong this year. So definitely, a fourth-quarter finish and we go on some high runs and then some low dips, just staying consistent throughout the whole game and finishing strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Broekhuizen describes the team this year as \u201ca high-energy team with a lot of intensity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes we\u2019ll come into a game as a mismatch, but that team should fear our team coming into the game,\u201d she says. \u201cThey know they\u2019re going to get a run for their money. When we step on that court, we play as a unit, and… we\u2019re diving on every ball, we\u2019re rebounding, like, just the areas where we\u2019re putting in effort, we bring that. I think that\u2019s one thing that makes our team successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The women\u2019s basketball team aren\u2019t the only ones learning their way around the playbook of a new coach. The women\u2019s volleyball team welcomed coach Scott Freeburn in the last season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think he had a lot more time this summer planning and figuring out how he wanted to plan out our season and our team and stuff,\u201d says fourth-year women\u2019s volleyball libero Sloan Thomson. \u201cSo far, it\u2019s been really good. And I think he learned a lot, both from our feedback to him and also just kind of seeing, because this last year was his first year coaching at this level. But yeah, I think we all really enjoy him. He\u2019s a super awesome human being, but also very knowledgeable and always willing to learn from us or getting mentorship from other coaches that we\u2019ve had in the past or that he looks up to and stuff like that. And he\u2019s really big on making sure we have a good team dynamic over just [being] good players.\u201d<\/p>\n
And while that dynamic is an important goal for the team, they still have room in their schedule to gun for the championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we all put pressure on ourselves to do well, and everyone likes to win and to do well, play well,\u201d says Thomson, a fourth-year student. \u201cI would say we all want to and are striving for winning provincials, like going to nationals. But that\u2019s not a main goal, like, we need to do this. [What\u2019s important is] growing together as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Camosun Chargers men\u2019s basketball team had quite a run last season, taking home the bronze medal at nationals and nabbing 19 wins throughout the PACWEST season. This was the best season on record in the program\u2019s 32-year history, and they\u2019re hoping to do even better this coming season, despite some changing faces.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a really good season last year,\u201d says fifth-year guard Jakob Neufeld, \u201cand we definitely lost some big pieces that contributed to that success, but I think we have guys from last year\u2019s team that can step up into those important roles, as well as if we brought in some new transfers and rookies that would also be able to help us find success.\u201d<\/p>\n
Incoming coach Craig Beaucamp is one of the elements, along with the new teammates, that Neufeld is looking forward to working with.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur new coach, as well, is very experienced and smart, and I think he\u2019ll help us accomplish our goals in terms of accolades and success, [but] our team culture, I think that\u2019s been what\u2019s set us apart from other teams,\u201d he says. \u201cHow hard we work, and how close we are off the court, it contributes to our success.\u201d<\/p>\n
While national bronze was an achievement, the team has their eyes set on a higher prize.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of improving, I would just say, probably the way we finished our season in the playoffs, we lost in the final of our conference last year, and then we got a national bronze, so I guess improving upon that,\u201d says Neufeld. \u201cSo that might look like winning a PACWEST championship, and then hopefully a national championship would be ideal.\u201d<\/p>\n For Neufeld and the other outgoing team members, the pressure to do even better than last year is palpable.<\/p>\n \u201cPersonally, being my last year, I just want to have no regrets,\u201d he says, \u201cso I just want to do everything in my power to be successful, whether that be individually [or] with the team, just [so] I can put myself in the best position to succeed in my last opportunity to play basketball at Camosun.\u201d<\/p>\n The men\u2019s volleyball team also has a new incoming coach, Camosun alum Elion Wong; fifth-year leftside Jake Bolton is looking forward to working with Wong and the new round of players.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very excited; it\u2019s really good to have new faces in the gym. We brought in a lot of new guys\u2014transfers and rookies\u2026 as well as a new head coach, and pretty much all new coaching staff,\u201d says Bolton. \u201c[Wong\u2019s] a bit of a local legend, and I\u2019m very excited to work with all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n While last year did not go in the men\u2019s volleyball team\u2019s favour, this influx of new blood brings with it new hope.<\/p>\n \u201cI think last year we left it a little bit too late when it came down to the end of the season,\u201d says Bolton. \u201cWe needed our last few wins to make it into the playoffs, and I think we just need to do a better job of getting on top of it early, and you know, every game matters. I think that\u2019s kind of what we\u2019re looking to do is just treat every game like it\u2019s the last.\u201d<\/p>\n But hope springs eternal for Bolton and the rest of the team, and while they know there are tough matches ahead, they\u2019re determined to put their best foot forward.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019ve struggled in the past with overcoming adversity, and I think this year will be kind of our year to really test how hard we\u2019ve worked on our team culture, but I think we can expect a good challenge within our own conference, the PACWEST\u2026 it is usually the top in the country for men\u2019s volleyball,\u201d says Bolton. \u201cWe can always expect a lot of good competition, and I think it\u2019s going to come down to how hard we work.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Camosun Chargers are gearing up for a brand-new season of striving to be the best and having fun on the courts. The Chargers teams\u2014women\u2019s and men\u2019s volleyball, and women\u2019s and men\u2019s basketball\u2014all have quite a bit of turnover from last year, so there are plenty of new faces on the rosters. \u201cWe have a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28521,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[238,8,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28520","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-sports","category-sports","category-features"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t<\/a>