Senior Camille Jackson dribbles ball down the court. (Jordan Fitzpatrick/FAMU Athletics)
Head coach Bridgette Gordon says her confidence remains high as the Florida A&M women’s basketball team looks to right the ship following three straight losses.
The Rattlers suffered two back-to-back losses this past week, 63-50 against Alabama A&M and 75-64 against Alabama State. The Rattlers have an overall record of 5-15 and are eighth in conference play after dropping four of their last five games.
Gordon says she has confidence her team will finish strong. The Rattlers have had to navigate injuries while the coaching staff is still figuring out the rotations.
“I still have a lot of confidence in the team,” Gordon said. “We haven’t put a full team out on the floor yet.”
The coaching staff says they are working to make sure their rotation is where it needs to be. Cornelia Ellington, a freshman guard, suffered an injury earlier this season. Gordon wants to get everyone back in the groove of things with the rotation on her return.
“We had a rotation then we had injuries, now it’s back to me and the staff to figure out how we rotate,” Gordon said. “I’m thanking God that we are getting back healthy at the right time in the season.”
Gordon says she is basing everything off her players’ performance in practice and emphasizing the areas of weakness and where the team lacks efficiency.
“We have to keep working where we are getting our butt kicked at,” Gordon said. “We turn the ball over at crucial times. Crucial turnovers or missed defensive assignments.”
Growth exists, even during tough seasons. The Rattlers began the season 0-10 in nonconference play before going on a three-game winning streak in SWAC play.
Gordon is confident that her team can work through their mistakes and bring home more wins. Gordon says her focus is correcting these things in practice and showing the results on the court.
“We never feel like we’re out of a game, we have been through a lot of tests,” Gordon said. “It’s up to us for us to get off the better starts.”
Gordon says confidence hasn’t been an issue for the team, and she wanted to check in with them to see where they stood with confidence.
“I went around the circle yesterday in practice and asked them how confident they are,” Gordon said. “And they were very confident that we can still do what we want to do this season.”
Rattlers reached the SWAC tournament for the first time in program history during Gordon’s first year in 2024. However, the team fell short of a playoff berth in 2025.
The Rattlers face a crucial slate at home this weekend. They host Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern, this will be the first time this season FAMU plays either team.
Tipoff against Prairie View A&M is on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 6:30 p.m. in the Al Lawson Center. Saturday’s game against Texas Southern begins at 4 p.m.