The SDSU women’s basketball team opened Viejas Arena to the public to watch and experience what an Aztec practice looks like.
As they opened the event, head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson started off with introductions. She passed it onto the players who introduced themselves with their names, year and why they chose SDSU.
Meghan Fiso, a junior from Seattle, Washington, chose SDSU because it gave her a “family environment.” Mostly everyone agreed and repeated her answer on why they chose SDSU.
After the players introduced themselves, head coach Hutson introduced her coaching staff. After all the introductions, the team came into a circle clapping. While in the circle, Adryana Quezada a junior from Frisco, Texas ended the group huddle with a quote, “Passionate and dedication shouldn’t be part-time, it should be full-time.”
Following an eight-minute pre-practice stretching routine, they started working on their shooting.
The coaches divided the team up into stations. One of the stations was all about practicing their layups, the second station was practicing their mid-range and three-point shots, and finally, a station where they were being guarded and the goal was to attack the basket.
After their shooting drills, they went on to full-court ball movement and moving around the floor setting screens, and opening up for passes.
They moved on to their defense drills where they started with box-outs, moved to box closeouts and then finished with a full-court shell.
Head coach Hutson likes to think positively and constantly reminds her team to “Celebrate the wins.”
Overall the team is in good shape and the majority of the girls are really quick and can shoot. During their scrimmage Mercedes Stamples, a grad student from Centerville, Utah, was making all of her shots while Yummy Morris a grad student from North Little Rock, Arkansas was making good passes and also finishing layups.
At the end of the scrimmage, they closed out with their huddle and clap while head coach Hutson took the microphone to thank everyone who showed up to the practice.
The event took place in the morning so they had free donuts, water and coffee. They also had raffle tickets with prizes of Aztecs gear, shirts, sweaters and goody bags. By the end of the events, the team was signing posters to those who waited in line for their autographs and also announced the winner of the raffle.
This team is filled up with many veterans, so they have experience playing at the college level. They have a good relationship with each other and have great dynamics with each other.
The SDSU women’s basketball team will travel to Palo Alto in Northern California to face off against No. 2 Stanford on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
