Junior Kim Horne drives the lane.
The winter sport season get underway just before Thanksgiving, so I sat down with two women’s basketball players, Taylor Sawatzki ’12 and Kim Horne ’12, to talk about preseason and their expectations going into the year. The Camels are hoping to improve from their 8-16 record last year and make a name for themselves in the conference. With a talented crop of new freshmen players, the young Conn team is excited heading into their first games of the year.
How did last season go?
Sawatzki: Um…
Horne: Last season was a rough one.
Sawatzki: It was. I mean, that’s not really a secret. It was rough. We were all really good, but we didn’t click well as a team.
Horne: We had the talent, we just didn’t play together.
So, how does the team feel this year?
Sawatzki: It feels a lot better. Everyone seems to be working well, and the freshman are all really good.
Horne: I think we worked harder this preseason than we have any other preseason.
Sawatzki: Definitely.
What are your hopes for this season?
Horne: We want to make the NESCAC Tournament for the first time…
All: Ever.
Sawatzki: In the history of women’s basketball at Conn College (laughing). And, we want to be at least .500. I think it’s a very achievable goal.
Who’s going to be sick in NESCAC?
Horne: Amherst is really good.
Sawatzki: I always like playing Tufts. Tufts is a fun game.
Why are they particularly fun?
Sawatzki: I don’t know. They’re always really good…I don’t know, I can’t really say anything because I’ve never played in a NESCAC game. I’ve been injured for about two years.
Horne: (Laughing) Yeah, why did you pick Tufts?
So if you’ve never played Tufts, how do you have fun playing Tufts?
Sawatzki: It was a fun game…to cheer for.
Horne: (Laughs) Just forget it.
Sawatzki: Yeah, have Kim answer the questions.
Do you get hurt a lot?
Sawatzki: I have so many things wrong with me it’s not even funny.
Horne: Yeah. It’s like we have the Curse of the Camels. In the past three years, there have been a huge number of injuries on our team.
Did you coin that term on your own?
Horne: Someone…said that once…it wasn’t me.
Sawatzki: You just made that up.
Horne: It’s like our team is very injury-prone.
Sawatzki: I know, that’s very true, it is.
Horne: It’s one of our challenges we’re facing. We’d have about seven healthy bodies, then we’d have three people who are half-healthy.
Sawatzki: Literally, like four people have not been injured this year. So far.
When’s your home opener?
Sawatzki: Next Tuesday, November 23 against Nichols at 5:30.
Anything else you want me to say?
Horne: I’d say, “Come support women’s basketball!”
Sawatzki: Yeah, that’s a good one.
Conn opens their season on Saturday, November 20 in a tournament at Brandeis University. Their first NESCAC game is not until January 14 when they take on Amherst, a Division III NCAA Tournament finalist last season, in the Luce Field House. •
I loved playing basketball at college when I was younger. I wasn’t at this college but not far away :-). Maybe I will pop over one day to see you in action.