Just a little more than a year ago, the U.S. Virgin Islands senior women’s national basketball team was celebrating a gold medal win at the 2017 FIBA Women’s Centrobasket Championship, played at home in the UVI Sports and Fitness Center.
Beginning Wednesday the team will work to repeat that feeling as they board a plane to Barranquilla, Columbia, for the Central American and Caribbean Games, the first of two tournaments they will compete in this summer.
“It was an amazing feeling after all the hard work we put in, and we literally left just three weeks later for our next tournament,” team forward Natalie Day said at the team’s last practice in the gym Monday.
“Right after that, the hurricanes followed,” Day added. “So, we didn’t think we’d even be here, where we are now, preparing for another season together, and we’re all so grateful to have this opportunity to continue traveling and representing our country.”
Like many others on the team, Day said the backdrop of being able to compete while the islands are still recovering from Hurricanes Irma and Maria have made this upcoming year one to remember. Many players – who have just begun to reunite over the past few weeks after a year apart – said they have also come home to a cheering squad of family members they haven’t seen since the storms.
“My mom’s been here,” Day said. “She’s my heartbeat. I know she’s going to be cheering us on wherever we go, watching whatever games are posted on YouTube. And that’s that biggest thing about our team. We’re always the youngest wherever we go, the one no one perceives will do well, but we bring the most heart and the most energy, and we use that to our advantage.”
While two teammates have left, eight remain from last year’s gold-medal bunch. Adding to the team’s chemistry this time around, however, are new coach Clint Williams, guard Tyra Aska (Southwestern Oklahoma State) and Cheyenne Hedrington (Grand Canyon University), who Williams said have brought more depth and firepower.
“And overall athleticism for sure,” Williams said about the new additions.
Talking about the team as whole, Williams added its one of the best he’s ever coached.
“These women play all over the world,” said Williams, a St. Croix native stationed at Morehouse State University. “Some play high level Division I ball, some play professionally overseas. They know when to push the pace, when to slow it down, when to run and when to execute more on the half court. Their ‘basketball IQ’ is high, and I think that’s what makes us unique going into this tournament.”
To shore up loose ends, Williams used his last practice on island this week before the tournament to work on shooting and make sure the team is in top condition. Otherwise, the plan is to “execute and win,” and Williams explained that he’s taken what he knows about the team’s first three opponents to form a good game plan that plays to each teammate’s strengths.
After opening ceremonies Thursday morning, the team is expected to kick off Friday against Cuba, then face Columbia and Jamaica. The two top teams in each group advance to medal-round games next week, and Williams said at least two wins out the gate will set the USVI up for a good showing later on.
“Our last tournament, in Argentina, Columbia had us down 20 points-plus,” he said. “That first half, we couldn’t make a shot, but we battled back and lost by single digits. Cuba we haven’t played in a while, but they’re not very skilled so we can use that to our advantage, and Jamaica, which is a very physical team, prefers a low scoring game, so we definitely know what to expect, and I think we’re ready.”
Columbia is tied with the USVI at No. 35 in the FIBA women’s world national rankings, and for the CAC tournament, only three of the other eight entries in the tournament are top ranked: Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Jamaica.
“We’re ready,” said guard Victoria Hamilton, who has been playing with the women’s senior team since she was 12. “We have a lot of toughness, we know the game and as long as we stay together, we can make our move. We can run the floor, we have a lot of shooters, we have guards that are versatile, so our job is to match those pieces together, stick to the game plan, and win.”
