Something to prove.
That has been the driving force of the Skidmore Women’s Basketball team this season. After losing six seniors from last year, this team was one of the youngest in all of the Liberty League. When the preseason rankings came out, putting Skidmore at #5, this was the first sign of disrespect. From that point on, the entire team was set out on a revenge tour, wanting to prove everyone wrong.
After most recently upsetting RPI in the first round of the Liberty League tournament, Coach Bostick’s message was loud and clear: the only people who are surprised to see us here are everyone outside of this locker room.
Ultimately, the team ended up losing a nail-biter against #2 RIT, 53–45, which was not the way anyone had planned on ending the season. The players had visions of beating #1 ranked Union in the championship, something they had already done once before, but that doesn’t diminish the season that Skidmore had this year.
For a lot of teams, non-conference play can be a way to build up a winning record, oftentimes by playing subpar opponents. However, this was far from the goal of Coach Bostick. Of course, he wanted the team to win, but he had a bigger picture in mind: play the most challenging opponents to prepare the team for future Liberty League playoff games. By playing teams like nationally ranked NYU, Bowdoin, and Trinity, the team grew physically and mentally in each of these games, no matter if it was a win or a loss. The biggest non-conference wins ended up being a 73–69 opening-night win against Williams and a much-needed 67–63 road victory against Tufts. While the players were skeptical when seeing this schedule over the summer, it became clear what playing against top competition can do for a team.
Moving into the conference schedule, the Thoroughbreds finished with a 9–9 record. Despite there being a handful of games that they would’ve liked to win, they had many big wins along the way. For one, they beat Vassar for the first time in a handful of years, winning 59–55 on the road. On Senior Night (the same day as the school-wide event Big Green Scream), they crushed St. Lawrence, 66–51, after having blown a large lead to them in their first meeting earlier in the season. However, Skidmore’s best game all season came against #1 ranked Union. This matchup is always a competitive rivalry, even more so this year after their assistant coach left to coach at Union. After a hot start, it seemed like Union couldn’t pull the deficit to much under 20 the entire game. As a result, Skidmore ended up winning 71–54, playing stifling defense and shooting the lights out.
Overall, the team ended up with a 12–15 record. It was no small feat playing one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the entire country, mixed with a handful of losses at the buzzer against some Liberty League teams. Regardless, this season was about growth—and proving everyone wrong. While the loss of two important seniors will leave a missing piece on the team, everyone has high hopes for next season, all with the goal of coming out on top of the Liberty League.
Many of the memories from this season go far beyond the court. Whether it was the extensive amount of inside jokes, team meals at the dining hall, or road trips together, these are the things that really differentiate one season from the next. Some favorite team activities included painting night during winter break, bowling, Secret Santa after a team dinner, a preseason trip to Montreal, and more. This proved to be especially important during a long season filled with constant lifts, practices, conditioning, and film. Team bonding was not only an outlet away from basketball, but it also provided an opportunity for everyone to grow closer to one another, leading to continued chemistry on the court.
It’s clear that this was a successful season, both on and off the court. However, there’s still a feeling among everyone that something is left unfinished: winning a championship to make it to the NCAA tournament, something last accomplished during the 2022-2023 season. While a few weeks of rest are in the immediate future, the spring, summer, and early fall will be filled with strength and conditioning lifts, pickup games, and skills workouts. All of the work behind the scenes will lead to a better season than the previous one.
A personal note: I was lucky enough to be a freshman on this year’s team. We were led by senior captains Maddy Meyer and Melissa Severino, and junior captain Claudia Schneider. All three of them brought something different to the team, whether that was their skill set on the court or their leadership style. Aside from the leadership, each and every one of the 13 players brought something unique to this team. Whether that was energy on the bench, tenacious defense, or scoring on the court, this year’s Skidmore basketball team was “only as good as the last player on the bench,” as the captains remarked after the loss against RIT. I can’t believe that I am already one season into my college basketball career, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds with this talented group of girls.
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