The transition from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the building of a team with many young members is a recurring theme with Seton Hill University (SHU) sports this year. The women’s basketball team is no exception.
Moving to NCAA Division II this year is a �big transition period,� said Nikki Babik, graduate assistant coach.
By Meredith Ponczak,
Senior Staff Writer
The transition from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the building of a team with many young members is a recurring theme with Seton Hill University (SHU) sports this year. The women’s basketball team is no exception.
Moving to NCAA Division II this year is a �big transition period,� said Nikki Babik, graduate assistant coach.
Unable to compete for a championship due to NCAA rules, the team’s goal is to �make a name for ourselves in Division II,� said Babik.
Head coach Ferne Labati elaborates, saying that her goal is the Greek word ar�te – �to be the best you can possibly be.�
A four-team tournament in Georgia is possible, however. The teams are not yet announced, but the four teams that are chosen must be provisional and unable to play for a championship, just as SHU is. This tournament would give the teams the experience of post-season tournament play.
The biggest obstacles in the team’s schedule this year are Glenville State College and the University of Charleston, both of which are in the top 25 in the country in Division II basketball.
�Every day we get a little bit better,� said Labati. Babik said she sees the changes too.
Integrating different cultures and three foreign players – one each from Israel, Australia, and Macedonia – is important in making the team run cohesively.
The team’s top scorer, Elena Radenkovik, is from Macedonia and hopes to play professional basketball in a European league upon graduation in the spring.
The women hold practice nearly every day and run through the four or five offenses the team uses, as well as the defensive plays and options. All of the running is done with a basketball in hand to make the exercises relevant to the sport, not just running drills.
Practice is not easy, says Radenkovik, because �(Coach Labati) pushes us in practice.� Indeed, Labati structures practice to advance toward the team goal of ar�te.
�Learning to play hard� and developing �basketball IQ – the ability to learn the game, knowledge of the game� are essential components to practice, Labati said.
Armed with 439 career wins over 26 years of coaching, Labati comes to SHU from the University of Miami in Florida. With Labati at the helm, University of Miami won the NCAA Big East Regular Season and Conference Championships in 1992 and 1993.
Previous to that, in her first year as head coach, Labati led Trenton State University to the NCAA Division III National Tournament and Division III Elite Eight.
In 2004, she was inducted into the University of Miami Athletic Hall of Fame. She has also seen players she has coached go to the professional leagues in Europe.
Why SHU? Labati explains she has a �tremendous desire and great passion for basketball and to contribute to the development of young student athletes.�
�The strength of the team is the team,� Labati adds. �We are the women of the Hill.�
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