Eaglecrest girls basketball grows in both drive and talent every year. And nothing proves this more than the recent DI interest in multiple Eaglecrest girls basketball players. For three juniors, colleges are already in contact with potential DI offers -- offers that, as every athlete knows, are not easily earned. The fact that all three are attracting DI interest this early is a testament to both the program’s strength and the players’ tenacity. And for all three, the interest carries special meaning.
“I think what it means to me is that my hard work has paid off and I've actually worked so hard,” said junior Jolene Ramiro. “Getting all these interests from different colleges is like it's paying off.” Ramiro has received interest from a multitude of institutions, including DI schools Fresno State and the University of Nevada, as well as DII school CSU Pueblo.
“It’s a pretty big change for our program to have growth with the DI interest we have,” said their coach, Robby Gabrielli. Gabrielli, who has been a coach for the past eight years, explained that he and his teams over the years have put quite a bit of work into building up the program. Junior Laci Roffle has noticed that work even in just the past three years.
“I feel like my freshman year we were very fundamentally talented,” said Roffle. “But I feel like as the years progressed our team was so skilled -- we're up for any challenge. So that's really cool.” Roffle noted that the progress she has seen in her time on the team is encouraging. And now, with communication from multiple DI schools, including Pacific University, Roffle is even more motivated this season.
“It’s crazy. It’s really fun. It’s really exciting,” said Roffle of the DI interest. “I’ve just got to keep working, talking to coaches, keeping a good attitude, and working out.” And just as the program has supported Roffle, it is part of what helped support her fellow junior and teammate Nia McKenzie, who transferred to the team last year.
“It was definitely difficult,” McKenzie said of the transfer. “Especially for the Covid times, the basketball team was really my main group of friends. So I'm glad that they welcomed me. They really became my family.” McKenzie is not the only recent transfer. Ramiro also transferred to Eaglecrest this year, and likewise, she noted the familial feeling of the Eaglecrest team.
“New atmospheres are actually pretty good for me," said Ramiro. Surrounded by friends on her previous team, she notes the importance of having a team bond. "It's definitely more fun and it's more of a team experience and more family-related,” said Ramiro. In fact, playing as a team, she said, was one of her focuses this season. Her teammates are on the same page.
“We all have to stay focused even though we have all that outside noise coming in. We have to make sure we stay focused on our team and make sure we're invested in the team -- not just ourselves,” said McKenzie. “And so I feel like that's the goal.” As an up-and-coming team, the girls said they are feeling more pressure this year in general. And for McKenzie, who has DI interest from schools like DU, Missouri State, Pepperdine, and other West Coast Conference teams, there’s absolutely more pressure this season. Yet she uses the pressure simply as motivation. “This year, I feel like I should work more on developing as a player and moving towards D1 prospects,” said McKenzie. The pressure of DI interest does not just fall on the players that are the object of that interest, though.
“It is a challenge for us having DI interests because we haven't had kids with that high-level interest, and it puts a lot of pressure on them sometimes,” said Gabrielli. “And it puts a lot of expectations on the team. Other teams see that kid is getting a DI offer, so it puts a little bit of a target on us. So that's something that’s very new to us.” Often, additional pressure can either cement a team together or tear them apart, and for the Eaglecrest girls basketball team, it appears to only make them stronger as individuals and as a team.
“Individually, my goal is rebounding more and definitely getting a lot more putbacks this year,” said Roffle. “And as a team, just proving that Eaglecrest girls basketball is something. A lot of people think we're the underdogs and I feel like this team really could make history and be really good and prove people wrong.” Having built up a stronger program, Roffle says the team now seeks to build up its reputation with a strong season. And with a solid foundation of synergy, that goal does not seem out of reach at all.
“I think we have a lot of chemistry together. So I think the team this year is going to be really good,” said Ramiro. “We all have our different type of goals this season and we all want to play together.” Beyond just wanting to play together, as Ramiro explained before, their team is something of a family.
“Everyone is there for everyone else's success. And once you have a team that can accept that it doesn't matter who's going to be the top scorer in each game…it just matters if we're going to win and if we're doing what we need to do to win,” said McKenzie. And winning, all three girls agreed, is a big goal for them this season. Their DI interests seem to serve as an incentive toward reaching that goal.
“It's definitely some motivation, but it's also some pressure. So I'm just going to have to keep my head in the game and stay focused,” said McKenzie. With promising prospects on the horizon, McKenzie, Ramiro and Roffle all have a lot to look forward to. And as their coach, Gabrielli is hopeful that not only they will continue to receive those opportunities, but that it will aid their program in the long run.
“We're hoping that this just keeps our players in our community here instead of going to other schools because they know they can be good here,” said Gabrielli. “They can reach their goals here.”
