A new era of San Francisco State University women’s basketball is set to begin. The Gators experienced significant changes in the offseason, with Moné Peoples officially becoming the head coach and the team featuring only three returning players.
Peoples was dealt a heavy hand at the beginning of last season having to take over the team as interim coach, but now with a full offseason, she’s more prepared and optimistic heading into the new campaign.
“When we first took over the team, we had to scramble to do things,” Peoples said. “The full offseason, practice plans and the full travel schedule were all planned out and everything was in order. It was essentially the same recipe of preparation, we just had more time to perfect it.”
Last season, the Gators finished with an overall record of 9-18 and a 7-15 record against conference oppositions.
Peoples highlights the hunger she recognizes in this team, which hasn’t been as apparent in recent seasons.
“The biggest thing for us as a whole team is the willingness to get in extra work, get extra shots up and really pouring into themselves out of practice,” Peoples said. “We had a few individuals like that last year, but it’s contagious this year where everybody is putting in that extra work to make themselves better.”
Adapting to Division II basketball is an adjustment that most of the team will have to make. Junior guard Gianna Darté acknowledges the difficult preparation required to embrace that transition.
“It was hard at first, we had to push really hard to get us physically prepared,” Darté said. “Now we’re narrowing things down, getting mentally prepared. We’re getting our plays and our defense ready and honing in on all of the hard work in this preseason.”
With a new group of women and voids need to be filled, Darté hopes to take on a big role and fill what was lost from the previous season.
“I definitely want to be a big presence on the court,” Darté said. “I want to learn how to be a better leader for this team.”
It is junior guard Leilani Blecha’s first season for the Gators, but SFSU is a familiar place for her.
“I grew up at SF State because my parents work here, so I’ve always been a Gator at heart,” Blecha said. “It’s really exciting for me to be able to come home to represent this school and be able to play somewhere that I grew up in and always loved.”
Blecha said she is excited to see how the Gators’ hard work pays off this season.
“We’ve been together on the court for almost two months now, and we’re ready to start competing with other people,” Blecha said. “We know we’ve put in a lot of hard work together, and we’re excited to see how that translates into our games.”
The Gators run the Princeton offense, which emphasizes poise and ball movement in the half-court. Along with a patient offensive approach, the team hopes to be physical and push the pace on their opponents.
“We’re going to get out and run and we’re going to play a fast pace,” Peoples said. “We will push the tempo and we will press a lot. So, it’s really similar to what we did last year, but just a lot more depth.”
Assistant coach Daron Sims said the Gators’ brand of basketball will feature toughness on defense and shooting from beyond the arc, which the Princeton offense cannot run without.
“We’re a defensive-minded group,” Sims said. “We have a good amount of shooters this year; last year, we only had a couple. We should be able to space the floor, specifically for our point guards to be able to get downhill and make plays.”
Peoples’ expectation for the team is to play hard but enjoy themselves simultaneously. She detailed the responsibility that comes with being their coach.
“As coaches, it’s about giving them the platform and ability to cultivate what they’ve already been doing their entire lives,” Peoples said.
The Gators will begin their season on Thursday in a preseason contest against the Utah State University Aggies.
