The change in season equals a transition in varsity sports in Moody Coliseum and is outlined by the highly- anticipated start of SMU women’s basketball season. The Mustangs look to reclaim their former glory on the courts and initiate a dominant level of play on the courts.
In past years the team has achieved much in terms of excellence. It has been crowned Conference USA champions in two of the last three seasons. The team won its first Conference USA championship in the 2007-2008 season. Their win had been the first championship for the Mustangs since 1999.
The 2007-2008 season was an extremely successful one all the way through the championship win. The Mustangs went 24-9 in overall games with an 11-5 record of Conference games. This was a strong season compared to previous years.
In that season, the Mustangs went 20-12 overall, which was a slight dip from the previous season but had a record of 12-4 of Conference USA games. The official statistics during this season illustrate the strength of the team. In scores by periods, the Mustangs had 1,073 points in the first period compared to 962 points of all opponents. In the second period the Mustangs had 1,114 compared to 1,106 by opponents as well as 5 points to 11 in overtime. The totals are 2,192 to 2,079 points during a clearly dominant season.
Last year’s team had an overall record of 20-11, but their conference record took a slight dip to 10-6. However, while the Mustangs did make it to the post season, they did not claim the Conference USA championship title. This year though, the team will be looking to improve upon the successes of the past years and move towards the future.
The upcoming season plans to be challenging with a schedule that is intended to be difficult in order to raise the team’s level of play. The team will play 11 teams this season who had made it to post-season last year. They will serve as serious competition to the Mustangs as both conference and non-conference opponents.
“We have assembled a great non-conference schedule that will get us ready for the rigors of Conference USA,” head Coach Rhonda Rompola said, describing the team’s approach to the season.
The difficult season ahead will certainly be met by a team intent on competing and entering the post season with the dominance of previous years. The team will also be receiving new help from incoming freshman Krystal Johnson from Naaman Forest High School in Garland, Texas.
Johnson was an MVP of district 10-5A and played on the 5A All-Region team. Her former accolades and talent will surely bring the kind of improvement that the Mustangs are hoping for.
The season kick off will be on Friday as the team plays against Utah at Moody Coliseum. The team will then move on to play at TCU and then UTSA in San Antonio. The Conference USA championship will begin on March 9.
The Mustangs have a serious season ahead of them. They will need to maintain the dominant play from previous years in order to continue to be successful in the upcoming games, as well as to be champions once again.