Seven players. One star. One run into the NWAC Tournament.
The 2015-16 season for the Grays Harbor College women’s basketball team was a high achievement on the court. Now, the Chokers are cashing in a bit of their good fortune from last season to restock the program for a sustained run, now and into the future.
“Where you go from there is the same direction since I took this job — to get this team into the NWAC Championship game,” GHC head coach Chad Allan said. “Last year, we exceeded what we hoped for. We had a lot of sacrifice to get us there. We had a player who spearheaded the charge. A lot of things came together.”
This season, which begins on Friday night at Yakima Valley College in an NWAC Crossover Tournament, GHC (7-7, 13-14 last year) will field a 13-player roster — a luxury for a program that has seen 5-to-7-player rosters in the past.
“We are going to play 10 solid, with the other three seeing some time as well,” Allan said. “We improved our starting lineup and we improved our depth. We knew we had to have a year like last year to entice others to come here. We believe in what we do here and now we have others who have come into the program and believe that, too.”
One significant loss for the Chokers is sophomore guard Kennedy Wharton, who is currently playing for the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Last year, Wharton averaged 20.67 points per game to drive GHC. Now, sophomores Romey Begay, Bria Buchanan, Shauntel Efferson and Rachelle Tau will be counted on to lead the team. Begay was a second-team all-NWAC Western Division pick last season and Buchanan will step onto the court this year as a first-team all-NWAC Western Division volleyball player after a short season last year.
“Begay is stronger and improved from last year; she has added more tools to her already strong perimeter game and she’s been an excellent leader this year,” Allan said. “Bria will come to us late from volleyball, but she is as powerful and athletic as they come. Rachelle will help us with a strong inside presence and Shauntel will return to us after the preseason.”
Freshman Hepuakea Falealii (from Hoolehua, Hawaii) will take over as point guard this season. Fellow Hawaiian Cameron Lopez, as well as Oregon’s Katie Brisbois and Nevada’s Estelle Wilson, Alexia Thrower and Angela Sikora, will all battle for time as guards.
Allan noted Felealii’s aggressiveness on offense and defense, Thrower’s defensive intensity and Sikora’s offensive prowess, but also raved about the team’s freshmen forwards.
Starting with Lake Quinault’s Faith Thomas, who walked onto the team this year, as well as freshmen Jayln Brasher-Norwood (Kennewick) and Monet Salazar (Silverado-Las Vegas), the trio will help Buchanan, Tau and Begay in the paint.
“Mo comes to us with a very high basketball IQ and she will be a calming force for us during the stressful moments of the game,” Allan added. “Jayln is a powerful inside force who can also stretch the defense shooting from the arc. She allows us more freedom on offense to create4 mismatches for the defense. Faith has been one of the most improved players from the first day of practice and will be a big contributor to our team’s success down the road.”
With a postseason appearance from last year on the program’s wall, expectations for this season are just as high. Allan noted the team’s goal to finish in the top-four spots in a highly improved NWAC West and a possible top-eight finish in the NWAC Tournament.
Jan Jorgenson will return to the GHC coaching staff and she’ll be joined by Will Richardson, Robert Burton and Greg Holloway.
