On Wednesday night's annual Blue Madness event at Lincoln University, fans got to get an up-close look at the men's and women's basketball teams.
Since the evening primarily consisted of skills competitions and a hardly competitive co-ed scrimmage, there was scarcely a moment to get a serious look at the new Lincoln women's basketball team, led by first-year head coach Ayana McWilliams.
McWilliams comes to Lincoln after five years as an assistant coach at the University of South Carolina Upstate, where she helped guide the program to a record 22 victories, as well as a berth in the Women's Basketball Invitatonal tournament for the second time in three seasons, this past season.
Despite coming from such a winning pedigree, McWilliams is not reticent about helming a Blue Tigers squad that only managed to win eight games last season.
"We're renewed. We don't even think about last year. Last year is gone, we can't get those days back. All we're focusing on is one day at a time and moving forward," McWilliams said.
McWilliams noted a lot of different elements to be excited about in this upcoming season.
"There's a lot of excitement. I'm excited about every kid on our roster, believe it or not. Each (player) brings something truly special to Lincoln University and we're going to try to exploit that," McWilliams said.
McWilliams also said she has been using a lot of different team-building exercises with her squad during the offseason.
"We've done a lot of team-building. Just bringing family values and (bringing) that more into everything we do. I think that's made a tremendous difference with the relationships we've been able to build and the camaraderie we've been able to build. That energy is going to propel us throughout the season," McWilliams said.
The Blue Tigers carry a lot of veteran experience into the new season. The roster features four seniors, six juniors, a sophomore and a freshman. McWilliams noted having a large veteran core will be a major help in her first season.
"It helps having kids that come from programs where they've been pushed and have experience. I have one freshman, so it helps with her to help bridge the gap between high school and the collegiate level. It's been a tremendous help having that type of experience," McWilliams said.
McWilliams said it's important having some realistic expectations for the new season.
"Realistically, I think we can be somewhere in the middle of the pack in the MIAA. That's a realistic goal, but obviously we want to overachieve," McWilliams said.
The Blue Tigers will open their season Nov. 12 on the road against Rockhurst in Kansas City.