Several injuries, an absence of veteran leadership and a lack of team experience led to a difficult season for Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Freshman of the Year, Aunbrielle Green, and the Shippensburg University women’s basketball squad.
Green played high school basketball at Central Dauphin East and was named First Team All-Conference her senior year.
“It was different because of the amount of work you had to put into the game and the pace of the game was challenging as well and I had to go out of my comfort zone and try new things,” Green said.
Green battled numerous injuries during her freshman campaign, including knee, hip and back injuries. She said her back injury was the most severe and was the toughest for her to play through.
The women’s basketball team was very young and inexperienced this season, with three freshmen in the starting five and no seniors on the team.
The Raiders, despite Green’s excellent freshman season, finished only 12-16 and fell short of making the playoffs. Green was an integral part of the team, averaging 12.8 points per game this season.
Green said it was hard to play as one unit at certain points of the season, but leaders rose from the young ranks.
“It was difficult because we were all new playing with each other and all inexperienced, so there was no chemistry,” she said. “We did not have any seniors, so we had to set the tone for ourselves.”
The Raiders finished the season with a 12–16 overall record and an 8–12 conference record, missing the playoffs — a disappointing ending for a young team with high aspirations.
“We could have done much better and I had many regrets after games, but I learned what to do and what not to do in certain situations as a team and figured out what works and what doesn’t work going forward,” Green said.
She also spoke of her individual performance this past season. Green said she pushed herself to become better, and her great season is just a preview to what she believes she can do in the future.
“I am just scratching the surface of my potential,” she said.
When it was announced that she had won the PSAC Freshman of the Year award, Green said that she was surprised and happy at the same time.
“It was humbling to get the award, but it shows that my hard work paid off and I was really happy about that.”
Green averaged 12.8 points, seven rebounds and one block per game while shooting 44 percent from the field in her freshman season. Looking forward, she said she wants to expand her game.
“Dribbling more and taking more shots, and as my confidence grows shooting more threes. I want to win a Player of the Year Award by my senior season, so I just want to keep getting better and better,” Green said.
As for the team, Green expects the unit to gel as time goes on, becoming more comfortable with one another and ultimately playing better as a result.
“I think this team will be a force to be reckoned with.”
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