By Last year, women’s basketball head coach Jeff Cammon walked into the Walter Pyramid with six players available to him. It was a season full of patience for the first-year head coach, who endured a 8-23 year, good for sixth in the Big West. He was a late hire after Jody Wynn abruptly left the program, which gave him a late start to the recruiting process.
“When I got here with six kids on the roster, it was a total rebuild, Cammon said. “We had seven or eight newcomers, but ended up winning our last five games.”
This season is completely different. Cammon finally has the staff he wants and was able to play a big part in recruiting this year. He recruited junior transfers Cydnee Kinslow and Sydney Bordonaro and sophomore Bria Rice, along with four freshmen.
“We look for team-first, selfless, gritty, tough, young ladies who have passion, not just for basketball, but a passion for life,” Cammon said. “They come here because they want to be pushed and they want to grow as not only as a basketball player, but as a young lady.”
Part of last season’s struggles was how inexperienced the players were. With a year under the belt of sophomore returners Shanaijah Davison and Naomi Hunt and the addition of junior veterans, the team will now have a chance in the Big West.
“We have to be able to handle adversity, and we have to learn how to win,” Cammon said. “A lot of games last year, we were right there, but we just didn’t know how to win. We didn’t know how to win as a staff, we didn’t know how to win as a program, as a team.”
Davison took the keys of the offense last season, averaging 13.8 points a game. The sophomore was selected to the preseason All-Big West team, and looks to improve her game in her second campaign. Davison heavily relied on her scoring to win games, but understands that she needs to find a new role this season.
“I’m looking to be more of a facilitator this year, we’ve got a lot of good players this year so I’m looking to get my teammates involved,” Davison said. “I’m looking to come in and make a big difference, and get a lot of wins this year with my team.”
