After a few away game skirmishes, the Allen Community College’s Women’s Basketball team will play against Crowder College for its first home game of the 2024-25 season on November 12, 2024.

After going 22-6 overall last year and making an appearance in the 2023-24 Region Six Tournament semi-final, the women’s basketball team is returning for a new season with almost a completely new roster.

Sophomore Mafalda Chambal is the only returner for women’s basketball after the program graduated nine sophomores last year.

Now, with only four sophomores, the women’s basketball team faces a significant challenge. Losing nine players and having to build a new team is an uncommon challenge, but head women’s basketball coach Leslie Crane said she is not changing much. To build a new team with young players, she believes in starting from the ground up, but she does this with every team.

“That’s kind of my philosophy that I’ve always had you have to assume that the kids don’t know what it is that you want to do,” Coach Crane said.

Coach Crane says that she and her team are very driven people, and their goals for the season do not change despite their position, though those who watch have to be patient during this rebuilding year.

“A lot of people have to be a little bit patient, me included,” Coach Crane said.

Coach Crane acknowledges that the team is young and that mistakes will be made early, before they will learn how to be successful, but their schedule allows for that.

If you are interested in watching the 2024-25 women’s basketball season unfold, dates and times for games will be posted online, either on the Allen CC website or the women’s basketball Instagram page