After a disappointing campaign last season going 7-18, senior Moni Smith-Ocran and crew look to turn things around for the Owls basketball team this season.
Being a young group of girls, Smith-Ocran said that the mentalities of the players as a whole wasn’t as strong as it used to be.
“We really needed an extra pusher in the paint more often during games,” Smith-Ocran said. “We were just missing that driver on our team that really brought us together as a whole.”
Being on the same page in everything that each player does is going to be key to the Owls success this season, Smith-Ocran said.
For junior, Mariah Hankton, she said she looks at last year as a learning experience.
“This season we have to brush last season off and keep continuing to work hard,” Hankton said. “That hard work will show come game time.”
Before the Owls start the season on Nov. 9, they started early game play by hosting an alumni game earlier in the month.
Not only were players able to have fun, by said that they learned a lot about the athletic programs at Southern.
“There were a lot of laughs and memories being shared throughout the whole game,” Hankton said. “I think everyone really enjoyed being back in the field house and experiencing their prime all over again.”
As for preparation for this coming season, the new fresh talent keeps rolling in. This year the team has added four new players to the team; three freshmen and one junior transfer student.
“We are really excited to have them as an addition to our team,” Hankton said. “They are a very talented group who came in ready to work and are on the same page as the rest of the team.”
Smith-Ocran said that she could see the team meshing easily together in workouts, but there’s still work to be done.

“I think it’s going to be a good challenge for us to see how we work as a whole under adversity,” Smith-Ocran said.
This being Smith-Ocran’s last year as an Owl, she said she wants to make the most out of it and be sure that she has given her all in every game.
“I don’t want to have to look back at it wondering what I could have done better,” Smith-Ocran said.
Because the team has more returning players than they did last year, both Smith-Ocran and Hankton said that they are looking forward to getting more wins.
“We all have a drive to make something for our team and to prove to everyone that we are unstoppable,” Smith-Ocran said. “I think with the new and older players returning on the team like transfer student Sydni Lester and Keshia Primo, we are going to be something dangerous. We found our missing pieces.”
Smith-Ocran said that these two players bring versatility and consistency to the team.
“Sydni can shoot a short jumper even with a good defense,” Smith-Ocran said. “Maria Wesely is going to be deadly behind the arch and Taylor McLaughlin can play both inside and outside; which adds more to our package as a whole.”
Redeeming themselves as a program is one goal that Smith-Ocran said she wants to accomplish.
“I just feel we’re going to be different this year,” Smith-Ocran said. “I feel like my team has grown as a whole. The team chemistry this year is very strong. We are on the same page. It reminds me of my sophomore year’s team chemistry- inseparable.”
Individually, Smith-Ocran said that she really wants to work on her consistency in anything she does on the court this season.
For Hankton, she said there’s always room for her to improve on the defensive end.
“With defense comes offense,” Hankton said. “Defense is our thing and we are always looking to get better in that area.”
Hankton and the team look to start off strong on both defense and offense in their first game on Nov. 9 against Saint Thomas Aquinas College.