What's Next?

 

What's going on with the Bradley Women's Basketball team? 

After a struggling season, a lot of players were faced with the question of whether should they stay or should they go. Many thought long and hard and others knew exactly what they wanted. Each player had an end-of-the-year meeting with the coaches where they told them whether they were entering the portal or not. Many left out of the office with tears and others with excitement for their upcoming future. Although I chose to stay, I'm extremely proud of all of the girls who impacted our team and plan on doing that elsewhere as well.

Reagan Barkema, a knockdown shooter from Iowa has the most sweetest and genuine heart. When it comes to competing, she wants to help her teammates in every way possible to achieve success. Whether that's in the game knocking down 3's and snagging rebounds or simply coaching them up from the bench.

Isis Fitch is the most competitive and hardworking player I've run into during my time at Bradley. I don't think there was a day that went by where Isis wasn't getting some type of extra work done during the season. To her, it was never an off day and that definitely translated into the game. 

Halli Poock, the freshman who can do it all! Halli came in and gave our program just the spark that it needed. She put up high numbers every game and was a great teammate while doing so. Even though she calls Waterloo mini Chicago, she's the most talented freshman that I've seen touch this program since I've been here. Small but mighty definitely has a promising future ahead of her.

There's never a question of what you're going to get from Daija Powell. Although she's faced a few amount of injuries, she's always going to give you what she has left in the tank. She worked hard all summer and her season was truly looking very promising. However, she had a shoulder injury that sat her down for the rest of the season that all of us were devastated about. I think we would've gone really far with her help.

Even though we look at each other as sisters but look nothing alike, Alex Rouse is someone I call a best friend. We've had long conversations that were good and some were bad. Nevertheless, experiencing her as a friend was the most cherishable thing I would ever ask for. She has the most uplifting spirit, always making sure everyone around her is okay, and knowing the role of being a great friend. When it comes to basketball she's going to hustle and push herself to help her teammates. Alex and I have been through some very tough times but I hope her next school brings her nothing but pure joy. 

Big Moni! Armoni Strozier is the sweetest and silliest kid that's within our program. We are both from Michigan so we have a different connection from the rest. I've known her since AAU as we played under the same program and high school when we played each other (of course my team won). Moni did not finish the season with us but we felt her with us every step of the way. Overall a great kid and I know she'll do big things at her next program. 

Needless to say, I hope for nothing but the best for these extremely talented young women as they embark on a new chapter of life. I've experienced extreme pleasure playing in the same program with them and their future teammates will feel the same. I love every single one of them and I'm proud of all the things they've done. Good luck ladies!