A quick examination of the mottos used by last year's and this year's Capilano University women's basketball teams gives an insightful look into where the program was then and is now.
Head coach Ramin Sadaghiani, who took over the Blues before the 2012-13 season, likes having a team motto, and for his inaugural season it was "hold the rope," a popular sports metaphor that imagines a scenario with a team on top of a mountain. Players are instructed to think about who they would want "holding the rope" if they were dangling off the side of a cliff and in risk of falling. It speaks to everyone doing their job and working together to stay on top.
It was fitting, given that last year's Blues team was stacked full of veteran talent and went on to finish first in PacWest regular season play and win silver at the provincial championships.
So what's this year's motto? "Rise to the challenge," says Sadaghiani, a not so subtle nod to the drastic changes that one offseason can bring. With graduations, transfers and other turnover, the 2013-14 Blues were left with only four returning players. The team that just one year before was working to stay on top of the mountain was now at the bottom staring up at the peak that seemed miles away.
"We've got a very young team," says Sadaghiani, whose Blues went 3-5 before the Christmas break and sit in the league's sixth and final playoff spot as the season resumes this weekend. "We have eight rookies this year so obviously there's been some growing pains with that as far as the girls understanding the systems and getting accustomed to the next level. There are a couple of games in there that we gave away just because of, I think, our youth."
The Blues are on the road this weekend for important games against Langara and Douglas, two teams that are very close to them in the standings. Next weekend they'll be at home for a pair of tough contests against third-place Camosun, ranked No. 14 in the country, and first place Vancouver Island University, ranked No. 4 in Canada.
Playing teams like VIU, whose entire starting lineup is composed of fourth-and fifth-year players, reveals the gap between veterans and rookies.
"We have like 18- year-olds playing against 22-, 23-year-old women. Physically it's just a different game," says Sadaghiani. "We have to kind of grow up really quickly because we're obviously a lot of firstyear players but we can't have that first-year player mentality.. .. There's a lot on these players' plates and they haven't really experienced it before."
All that being said, the Blues are not in any way treating this season as a write-off. They are currently in a playoff spot, and as the season rolls on, Sadaghiani expects the rookies to continue upward on a steady learning curve.
"We're getting better every day and I think in the second half we'll start to mature a little bit and we'll be a lot better," he says.
And it's not all rookies.
The team is led by point guard Jennafer Palma who is now in her fourth year.
"She just brings that toughness on the defensive end," says Sadaghiani. "She's been our leader on and off the court."
Second-year guard Francis Penafiel has also stepped up and taken on a much bigger role. The Blues were expecting the same for Stacey Graham, a second-year guard who was named to the PacWest all-rookie team last season, but she has missed large chunks of the season so far with a concussion. Her absence has left the team with only three returning players.
"She's only a secondyear player but we get even younger without her in the lineup," says Sadaghiani with a laugh.
Starting forward Elise Horton is technically new to the team but she's no rookie either, having played at the University of Calgary before taking a few years off.
"She's kind of coming out of retirement," says Sadaghiani, laughing again. Horton is leading the team in rebounding. "It took her a little while to kind of get going. Obviously with her being away from the game for a long time it takes a while to come back. She's been great, and also somebody that the girls look up to off the court because she's a little bit older."
And then there's the rookies, some of whom are already making their mark. Argyle grad Chelsea Dekleer is leading the team in scoring with an 11.38 point-per-game average despite typically coming off the bench.
"She can shoot the ball really well, she's got a really good skill set," says Sadaghiani.
Point guard Ashley dela Cruz Yip is in a similar situation, leading the team in assists despite acting as a backup.
"She's got a lot of speed, sees the floor really well. A good playmaker," the coach says.
The Blues, in fact, don't have any players putting up huge stats because they play nine or 10 players deep with a lot of players sharing equal time, Sadaghiani says. He's chosen to play a deep rotation because there is a lot of talent spread through his lineup and he likes players to go all-out in a high tempo style.
"We kind of spread it out - everybody has kind of had their games," he says. "We have a lot of depth.. .. Everyone is kind of the same - we don't lose a whole lot when we sub."
The Blues aren't built to challenge for a title like last year's team did but Sadaghiani sees a bright future ahead for the program as long as the young talent sticks around for a while.
"I think if we keep working hard and keep developing our skills, especially during the spring and summer, I think that we'll be one of the more competitive teams in our league," he says. "I'm really happy with our rookies, I think we have lots of skill and lots of potential to improve. I think the future is bright for sure. It's going to pay off in the long run."
The way Sadaghiani sees it, there's nowhere to go but up. It all comes back to that motto.
"We're trying to all rise to the challenge," Sadaghiani says, adding that he has enjoyed leading this season's squad just as much as last year's top-ranked team. "It's basketball, at the end of the day. This year's team is not last year's team. We kind of have to have our own character."
The Blues will be back at the Sportsplex for their first 2014 home games Jan. 17 against Camosun, women at 6 p.m. and men at 8 p.m., and Jan. 18 against VIU, women at 1 p.m. and men at 3 p.m.
