Last year was rough for the Gavilan women’s basketball team. An already small team—the roster maxed out at 11 players—was reduced to only five or six players at one point thanks to injuries. Those remaining struggled on the court and their record reflected it as the Rams finished 3-22 overall last year. The year before wasn’t any easier and Gavilan finished the season with a 1-24 mark.
The Rams know that their opponents see them as an easy ‘W’ on their schedules and that’s exactly what they want them to think.
“It’s nice that there aren’t high expectations for us. I take pride in that—I’ve always been the underdog as a player,” third year coach Erik Nelson said. “I want our team to buy into that and take that personally and have that chip on their shoulder.”
Gavilan may have its opponents thinking it’s the same team from last year, but it’s made a lot of changes in the offseason to ensure it isn’t.
The Rams have increased their roster size to 13—the largest it’s been since Nelson took over the program. They have also brought on Heather Stewart, formerly the head coach of the Christopher girls program, as an assistant to help with player development and recruiting from the San Jose area as she has ties to the West Valley Club and the Amateur Athletic Union club.
Stewart is joined by assistants Evan Gerhart, who has been with the Rams for three seasons, and Melissa Llanes, a Live Oak grad who strengthens the program with her local ties.
“Being able to have a third assistant and being able to split up (duties) and just focus on point guards, wing and post development—have a coach for each position—allows me to look at the small details,” Nelson said. “To have coaches that take ownership of each position is a real blessing.”
Some of the burden has been lifted off the players, too. Returning point guard Felicia Lee-Cardenas was the team’s lone point guard last year, in turn making her the lone ball handler. Three new PGs have joined the Rams this season, which will allow Lee-Cardenas to show what else she can do.
“Now I don’t have to feel like the pressure is all on me and I can allow myself to do more,” the sophomore said. “It’s going to allow me to grow as an overall player, not just a set (position) player and it’s going to allow the other point guards to get the feel for what it’s like to play college basketball.”
Helping Lee-Cardenas out at point guard will be Gilroy High alum Brianna Barron, Brittany Valdez from Alisal and Katrina Diaz from Gonzalez. Nelson said all three are fierce competitors and that Barron and Valdez especially will also strengthen the team on defense with their aggressive play style. This is the first year the Rams have had four point guards and that has the head coach excited.
“I think now if teams want to pressure us and do different things, we’re going to have the ball handling and the leadership from that position to compete,” Nelson said.
Live Oak grad Jocelyn Mendoza also joins the team as a wing and has already made an impact. Nelson said her passion and attitude for the game is exactly what he looks for in all his players.
“Her tenacity, her work ethic and how hard she goes everyday in practice is just contagious,” he said. “The leadership she’s shown as a freshman with her actions, that’s a huge asset to our program.”
Defensively, the team is hoping it will make up in heart what it lacks in size. The Rams have an average height of 5-6 and have just one player over 6-foot—freshman Greer Watson from Monte Vista Pleasant who is 6-2.
“We’re going to be kind of a scrappy, up-tempo, get after you type team,” Nelson said. “I think we have really good depth. In previous years, we haven’t had double digits (number of players) going into a college game.”
Lee-Cardenas is one of three sophomores returning to the team this season. She’s joined by wings Kelsey Caudill and Natalie Armstrong, who was the Rams’ leading scorer before being sidelined with a herniated disc in the conference opener last year.
All three have been working hard to get ready for this season, hitting the weight room and doing workouts like “Insanity” to improve their agility on the court. Caudill is also rehabbing from elbow surgery over the summer, but said she’s ready for the season opener this weekend. Gavilan will open with a 2 p.m. contest against Contra Costa Friday at the Mission College Basketball Tournament in Santa Clara.
The Comets, who went 20-9 last year, will provide a test right out of the gate, but Caudill said her team is ready for it.
“One of my favorite quotes is that the underdog is never the favorite, but when they do win they become the favorite. I felt like last year we were kind of the underdog and this year we definitely are,” she said. “People are going to look at our record for the last two years and be like ‘Gav isn’t really there yet’, but I really want to prove them wrong this year.”
Nelson has encouraged all his players to leave their own legacy on the program and Lee-Cardenas intends to do just that by leaving everything she has on the court.
“I can definitely see us winning a lot more games, but not just winning but also getting better as a team,” she said. “By the end of the season, we want to see ourselves as the team that pushes no matter what. Whether we win or lose, that’s what we’re going to be.”
“When I decided to come here, it’s because I wanted to help build something,” Caudill added. “I didn’t want to go to an already established program, I wanted to be able to make my mark on something. I want to make my mark this season.”
