Team Preview
Written by: Ryan Lee
The Nampa Bulldogs jumped from the 4A Southern Idaho Conference to the 5A Southern Idaho Conference last season and got off to a hot start by winning 14 of their first 16 games. The Bulldogs faded down the stretch going 4-8 the rest of the way but played the top teams in the conference very close each and every night.
Heading into the 2015-16 season Nampa would have graduated 10 seniors from last year’s team, and replaced head coach Cam Long with first year coach Nichole Schutte. Coach Schutte played for Nampa back in 2004, and after high school graduation played and coached at the college level (Western Oregon University/San Francisco State University). Schutte is excited to be back at her alma mater and looks forward in seeing her young team grow and come into its own.
Offense:
Nampa will have to replace a lot of scoring and rebounding from last year, and will miss twin sisters Raquel and Danielle Jardine. Both did a lot of everything, but the Bulldogs will return two key pieces from last year’s team in senior guard, Nica Ibarra and senior guard, Jen Castaneda. “We have some great guard play coming back, and our system this season is geared to keep the ball in their hands most of the time. I hope we can work on our offensive efficiency this season and focus on taking care of the ball and making quality decisions. This will be the key to our success,” said head coach Schutte.
Defense:
Defensively, the Bulldogs want to keep pressure on their opponents for all 40 minutes of the game and want to challenge opposing guards into making smart decisions. Nampa will be one of the smaller teams in the conference this season so they will need to remain disciplined defensively and do the little things well such as blocking out and making good crisp passes.
Wrap-Up:
Nampa seems to be going through a rebuilding and retooling mode this season with a new coach and almost a completely different team. They will need some of their youngsters to step-up if they want to compete for a state berth this season, but Coach Schutte says there is plenty of room for a lot of girls to step up this season.
GAMES TO WATCH: Nampa will be part of the “Elite 8” tournament again this year. Games will be held at Nampa High School and will feature teams throughout the state and some teams possibly from Oregon and Nevada. Head over to IdahoSports.com to check out schedule times and teams.
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