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As the new season draws closer, Yale Basketball players and coaches share their thoughts on the recently released season schedule.
Jack It
Collaborating journalist
muscosportsphotos.com
As the inspiring scenes from last year’s Ivy League Men’s Championship linger in the minds of fans, Yale’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are gearing up for the new season.
Last week, the Ivy League officially released the men’s hoop season schedulewith the women’s schedule soon to follow. Although both teams’ first game is over a month away, this year’s schedule will still follow an adjusted travel format. Coaches and players, excited about the new season, shared their most anticipated matchups and their thoughts on the conference ahead of the game.
“The history is that the Princeton finals schedule prohibited us from playing at the beginning of January,” said men’s head coach James Jones. “They have since changed their finals schedule which has added a lot of versatility to what we are able to do as a league. and back-to-back games were too much for the student-athletes.
The Ivy League has discontinued the traditional travel partner schedule since last season. Previously, teams went on weekend road trips to take on two rival teams in the area. But now, the matches against two schools in the same sector are spaced out.
Forward Isaiah Kelly ’23 said he appreciates having the time between games to reload and lock down the team’s next opponent. Kelly noted the difficulty of long trips during the season, while women’s guard Jenna Clark ’24 said the traditional system made it difficult to scout the second team on the back-to-back schedule.
One benefit of the traditional travel partner schedule that Clark pointed to was the convenience for parents to see two games in a short time. Jones and women’s captain Camilla Emsbo ’23 both noted the intensity of the traditional schedule as another plus, which Emsbo said “certainly took a lot of courage.”
“I appreciated that I found a way to build the team through this and prepare the team for league play.” said Jones.
Whatever happens to this new schedule, Jones stressed that it remains a work in progress..
“What we did last year and what we’re going to do this year won’t be what it’s going to be,” Jones said. “The coaches feel there are ways to improve it, so we will explore ways to improve it.”
On the men’s side, the Bulldogs travel to Lexington on December 10 to take on the Wildcats, the first time the two teams have met at Rupp Arena since 1961. A trip to Denver in late November will feature a reunion with the former captain of the team. Jalen Gabbidon ’22, a graduate transfer to Colorado.
Kelly said the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii in December was her most anticipated series of matches.
“Hawaii is a big thing that I am [really] looking forward to it,” Kelly wrote to the News. “My family [is] gonna be there, my extended family [too]. Just to have family there [is] such a great atmosphere… It will be a great opportunity for us.
For the women’s team, the Bulldogs are hoping to avenge last season’s bitter losses to Saint Joseph University and the University of Maine.
“Those are games we could have won so…to have those rematches would be super cool for us,” guard Clark said. “Our goal with every game is to play hard and win, and I think every game [this year] we have a chance to do so.
Clark and Esmbo both expressed excitement for the game against Syracuse, a Big Five school that will prove to be a test for the team.
Despite mixed feelings about the new schedule, coaches and players were united in their optimism about the new season.
“I’m an optimistic person, and I’m normally quite optimistic, so I feel good about what’s to come,” Jones said.
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