COUNCIL BLUFFS (KMTV) — Iowa Western women's basketball is making a push for the playoffs despite multiple obstacles throughout the regular season.
- The Reivers are 27-2 and ranked in the top 10 in NJCAA Division II, with both losses coming to top-10 teams.
- They are undefeated at Reiver Arena.
- All of this is happening under a new coaching staff who only had three returning players, one of which got injured during the regular season.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A brand new coaching staff, three returning players and a slew of injuries and illnesses doesn’t always spell “winning season.”
That’s not the case for the Iowa Western women.
The Reivers are 27-2, undefeated at home and ranked in the top 10 in the nation all without their full roster.
“I definitely don’t think anybody expected us to have the season we have,” sophomore forward Caleigh West said.
The odds have been stacked against the Reivers lately, but first-year head coach Mitch Rolls and his team are, well, rolling with the punches.
“The will of these kids and, you know, how bad they want to compete has really gotten us through the year,” Rolls said. “They could have got discouraged, they could have got down on themselves, but the entire time they’ve kept that belief, they continued to be competitive.”
“He’s definitely one of the best coaches I’ve played under,” redshirt sophomore guard McKenna Minter said. “He just pushes us every day to be great.
“It feels like a family. We’re so supportive of each other.”
And they have to be; they have less than ten players suited up for each game.
“Everybody plays a lot of minutes every day, so it’s hard on your body,” Minter said. “It’s tough at times, but it’s fun. The group being small keeps the group together. I feel like, and there’s no outside drama or outside noise, it’s just us.”
“The majority of the pressure is just coming from sustaining and staying where we’re at and continuing to pull out wins,” West said.
Their sights are set on the postseason, where they hope to make a statement and beat the odds once again.
“We feel as if people have us… you know, pegged as the underdog already,” Rolls said. “So I don’t think we have that belief, but we’ve gotten the vibe that some of the people in our conference and across the country don’t truly believe in us. Now if that has to do with our low numbers, whatever the case may be, but you can’t substitute winning.”
“It’s make or break,” West said. “Really trying to focus and stay locked in so that we can come back home with some rings.”
The Reivers’ last regular season game is Wednesday at 5:30 at Iowa Lakes Community College.
