MURRAY, KY — Summer workouts are about more than getting shots up and working through drills for the Murray State women’s basketball team.
With several newcomers joining a program that has won back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference championships, these first few weeks together have been focused on building relationships before players head home for a month-long break.
For the returning players like Senior Destiny Thomas, helping transfers and freshmen adjust to the expectations of the program has become a priority,
“I just think it’s on us as returners, to just take a step back and relax, like me, Haven and Hallie, we’ve done this three times, so we kind of know, well, two times, sorry, we kind of know what it takes, and really just to comfort the newcomers.”
Understanding that most of these new players just haven’t been in environments that this Racer team has grown used to.
“They’ve never done it before, so we know, and we know how to feel, and obviously there’s going to be nerves, there’s going to be pressure, but it’s on us to really comfort them, and just let them know that everything’s going to be good and we’re going to do whatever it takes to win.”
While veterans are helping lead the way, the newcomers are also learning how they fit into a team with championship expectations.
Senior guard Keslyn Secrist said these early summer practices are laying the foundation for what the team hopes will be a successful season.
“Everyone’s learning right now and learning each other and how each other play, how we play with each other and learning, you know, our different spots and things.”
Not just learning the gameplans and plays though, the team will learn how they all can work together toward a common goal.
“So I think it’s really important for us to kind of know where we have to be and when we have to be there, and I think that’ll transfer to August when we come back, and when we come back in August, we’ll look a lot more fit together.”
The Racers will spend the next month away from campus before returning in August to begin preparing for the upcoming season. When they do, Secrist believes the work being done now will help the team hit the ground running.
“Once we start playing together more, I think that’ll really benefit us in November when we start, but no, these moments are really crucial for just building our relationships, and you know, building confidence in each other, and things like that, and trusting each other is big too.”
The break may provide players with a chance to see family and recharge, but the relationships built during these first weeks together could play a major role once the season begins.
As Murray State looks to defend its conference crown once again, players believe the chemistry being developed now will help position the Racers for another championship run.