Photo courtesy of Detroit Titans Sports Info
BY KAMERON CHATMAN
VN STAFF WRITER
Kayla DeCriscio, a former student-athlete, understands the hard work, discipline and dedication it takes to be a college athlete.
As a graduate assistant for the women’s basketball team, she is responsible for a lot of the behind-the-scenes work, such as team travel, pregame and postgame meals, and other tasks.
Coming off a great year last year, including an upset over powerhouse Green Bay, the Titans have high expectations for what this season is going to be like.
Like most fall teams, the girls have been preparing for the upcoming season since June and are eager to get started.
Official practice began on Sunday, and soon the Titans are heading for a couple off days to rest and recover so they are ready to start the season.
“I have seen tremendous improvement from many of our players this off-season,” said DeCriscio. “I’m excited to start practices and finally see all of their hard work pay off on the court.”
With the first scrimmage only three weeks away, it is important for the team to be in shape at the start of the first practice.
“The better shape the girls show up in, the more time we can spend on developing basketball skills and game preparation instead of running sprints,” she said.
It is not only the coaches who are excited for the arrival of fall.
“As a team, we have worked really hard this summer,” said junior point guard Gracie Roberts, a native of New Zealand. “Although most days we were sore and tired, we never gave up. I’m excited to finally start playing more basketball and start preparing to have another successful season.”
The Titans were one win away from a Horizon League Championship last year, and getting so close left them even more eager to begin this season.
“I have high expectations for this season,” said junior guard Brittney Jackson. “Our goal is to win the Horizon League and get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.”
With all of the excitement, it is important to stay focused and not lose sight of the ultimate goal.
With roughly six weeks to go before the first regular-season game, they are going to do everything they can to mentally and physically prepare.
