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No doubt controversy and bad losses were the focal point of the Craig Jackson era. The Pacific women’s program has had its fair share of hurdles in the last two years, but now the light can be seen in this gloomy tunnel that has engulfed the women’s basketball program.
The road of trials and tribulations is far from over, but the whirlwind of bad losses and lack of heart seems to be in the past. It could be argued that the best thing that has happened for the Tigers was the resignation of Jackson. With Jackson out, and interim coach Karen Weitz in, Pacific has transformed itself into a legitimate team. Ask powerhouse UC Santa Barbara what they think of the new and improved Tigers and they will thank the basketball gods for their 64-62 victory a few weeks ago. This is a new Tigers team and with Weitz in the helm, the fire is back.
Pacific made it clear with an 87-53 win over Cal Poly that this is not the same team that started the season. “The game that we play now is way different from Craig’s,” said junior Ashley Dolezal. “Coach Weitz has us playing up-tempo, in-your-face offense and defense when before, we played back and let teams bring the game to us. We are now bringing it to others.”
Sophomore Kelsey Lavender has been the catalyst, giving post players Carolina Ruiz and Tina Sanerivi another weapon in the perimeter. Lavender’s play, along with Wyvonne Jones and Jerise Freeman, has helped solidify the backcourt. The perimeter took a huge hit as senior Dana Zimmerman quit the team due in part to Jackson, but has since recovered. Add freshman threepoint specialist Rene Roberts and the future is bright for Pacific. Roberts is not the only freshman playing valuable time as both Tyler Moran and Whitney Price are learning from savvy veterans like Dolezal, Julie Melcher and Lyndsay McNamee. Although this year has had its ups and downs, the Tiger program is on the rise. Weitz should strongly be considered for the permanent position as she has the Tigers playing with passion every day. Pacific has responded and although in the middle of a three-game losing streak, the Tigers now know they can compete with anyone in the nation.
“We are no longer content with losing,” McNamee said. “That’s what it has seemed like in the past couple of years. Coach Weitz and [assistant coach Jeff] Gardner both want this program to succeed at the highest level possible. They both know it’s capable of a higher caliber. Although we’ve been through a lot, we are all still here and willing to put up a fight to see this program succeed.”
With this newfound attitude it would be no surprise to the Tiger faithful to see their beloved basketball program making noise in the Big West Championship tournament.
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