Beavers Open Italy Practice
August 12, 2015 | Women's Basketball
The Oregon State women's basketball team began its preparation for the upcoming trip to Italy this week, when the Beavers opened practice at the OSU Basketball Center.
“We're really excited for this trip,” said junior Sydney Wiese. “We've been working so hard in the weight room and in training sessions, and now it's almost here. I know we're excited as a group to get out here, and we were excited to get practices started today.”
The Beavers will continue preparation for the next two weeks, before departing for Italy on Tuesday Aug. 25. The trip will feature four games, along with numerous opportunities to explore the history and culture of Italy.
“I'm so excited for this opportunity,” said freshman Katie McWilliams. “I've never been out of the country, so this is all going to be new for me. It's going to be a great experience for our team and I'm really looking forward to it.”
Not only does the summer excursion give the Beavers an opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime cultural experience, it gives the team a chance to gel through additional summer practice, as well as through the trip itself. In particular, freshmen McWilliams, Taylor Kalmer and Tarea Green will have the chance to get their first competitive action in the Orange and Black.
“This practices are going to be great for us,” Wiese said. “It's nice to have full-blown practices and to introduce our freshman to some of our sets. The next few weeks are going to be a lot of fun and I know we're going to compete hard out there.”
This week's practice will mark the first step for the Beavers, as they begin their quest for back-to-back Pac-12 titles. Oregon State returns four of its five starters from a year ago, and brings back 88.1 percent of its scoring and 93.1 percent of its rebounds from 2014-15. The Beavers have made the NCAA Tournament in two straight seasons, and will be looking to build upon that success in the upcoming campaign.
“It feels a little weird to think of us as a veteran team now, because for the last few years we've been seen as a young team,” Wiese said. “We've got some great veterans on the team, and we have some freshmen that don't play like freshmen, so that's really exciting.”
The 2014-15 season was the best in school history, as the Beavers set a school record with 27 wins en route to the program's first ever Pac-12 title. Along the way Oregon State proved it could beat the nation's best teams, taking down North Carolina on the road, sweeping Arizona State and defeating California. The Beavers were in the national rankings throughout the season, moving as high as No. 7 before ending the regular season ranked 10th.
Oregon State's success in the standings was matched by the team's individual honors. Junior Ruth Hamblin recorded one of the best seasons in Oregon State history, and was rewarded with AP All-America Third Team and Pac-12 Player of the Year (media) honors. Joining Hamblin on the All-Pac-12 team were junior Jamie Weisner and sophomore Sydney Wiese. Head coach Scott Rueck also earned numerous plaudits, including Pac-12 Coach of the Year (media and coaches) and WBCA Region 8 Coach of the Year honors.
Gill Coliseum was a fortress for the Beavers throughout the season, as the team went 14-2 at home. Oregon State led the Pac-12 in attendance with an average of over 4,200 fans per game, and welcomed over 6,000 spectators into Gill Coliseum on four occasions, including a total of 7,652 at the Civil War on Jan. 9.
Season ticket deposits for the 2015-16 season are now being accepted. To submit your deposit, please call 800-GOBEAVS or click here.
