IWA Lady Angels 8-0 Cinderella season, built on fundamentals

When the IWA Lady Angels basketball team began their 2011-12 season, the players and coaches knew they were part of a solid program with a team that would play well. They knew the team could hold its own on the court for the upcoming season even though “playing well” would not necessarily translate into many marks in the win column. After all, they were 1-7 in district last year.

Yet here they are; regular season is over and the Lady Angels are district champs. They have fought hard to earn an 8-0 record for league play and 27-6 overall—and are now playoff bound.

Senior Amelia Gonzales, guard/forward, offers several reasons for this year's remarkable season.

"First, I would have to say Coach [Malcolm] Smith has really brought a lot to our team. He has worked with us on the fundamentals and taught us so much,” Gonzales said. “Our freshmen have also brought a lot of new talent."

Gonzales began playing basketball in the eighth grade at IWA Middle Level and stayed with the program throughout high school. "For those of us who were determined to stick with it through the tough years, I think God is blessing us with a winning season after working so hard," she said.


The “tough years,” as some of the juniors and seniors refer to them, were the past three seasons where the program was going through a period of rebuilding. In the 2008-09 season, Coach Ashley Stark came on board to coach the team. Toward the end of the season Coach Smith, who had previously coached IWA’s boys team, volunteered as assistant coach.

That season, the team encountered tough losses on and off the court. The tragic death of teammate Anyssa Hinojosa on Dec. 22, 2009, deeply affected the players. Hinojosa was 17-years-old when she was killed in an all-terrain vehicle accident. The team continues to honor her memory with a prayer before each game.

“In 2009 we had a team meeting to see who was coming back for the next year,” Coach Smith said. “This was a turning point for the team.” The girls voiced their commitment to their team and their coaches.

In the seasons that followed, Smith took over as head coach and Stark, who is also head coach of the Lady Angel volleyball team, stayed on as an assistant. The team had the coaching stability it needed and players who were dedicated to work hard.

“We work on the fundamentals every day in practice,” Smith said. “I tell them I know it can be boring, but they have learned that it pays off.”

And paid off it has. The Angels’ bench runs deep and the team has had several big scoring turnarounds in the fourth quarter. “We just wear them down,” says Smith.

Guard Madison Longwell said the team's discipline helped to step up their game.

"We felt good last year. We knew we had improved. Coach Smith worked with us teaching us advanced plays. Plus, we have all really gotten to know each other over the years, so we know what to expect out on the court,” said Longwell, a junior, who has played basketball as an IWA Angel in elementary, middle level and now high school.

When asked what she will take away from this season, Longwell said, smiling earnestly, “If you stick with it, there is a payoff. If you are dedicated and stay focused, you can achieve your goals.”

The younger players on the team entered a much more established program. Sophomore Ashley Zawicky joined the team in her freshman year.

“I played in seventh and eighth grade, and I knew that I wanted to continue to play in high school,” Zawicky said. “In eighth grade, Coach Stark invited us to practice and play a scrimmage with the high school team, so we had a good idea of what it would be like to be on the team. Coach has us work on the fundamentals every day, so we know how to handle ourselves and instinctively know what we are doing.”

Sophomore Maggie Pesek also felt good about coming into a program that “was already performing at a top level.” The younger players feel very committed to maintaining the high level the team has achieved. This year three seniors will graduate. Pesek, who plays guard, said “Even though we will be losing several of our senior players, we will work hard to carry on the tradition that they set.”

“For athletes especially, IWA offers a unique opportunity for teams to bond and players to develop their talent,” Incarnate Word Academy Athletic Director Reynaldo Garcia said. “We have established and continue to add programs that start athletes in the elementary level, advance their growth in the middle level, watch them soar in high school.”

An example of these are the Middle Level Lady Angels who played a “phenomenal season” Garcia said. Many of their players came up through the ranks of the elementary program and will take their skills and team camaraderie with them into high school.

As the Lady Angels gear up for what is to come during post season, players say that it is the friendships they made on the team that is one of the biggest gifts they will take with them in their lives. One player remarked, “It feels good to know that if I need anything at school, I can turn to my teammates.”

Additionally their respect and gratitude for their coaches is evident. And that respect is a two-way street.

“I tell the parents that I just love coaching this group of girls,” Coach Smith, said. “One of the keys to our success is the chemistry on the team. The older girls support the younger girls. For those players, who may not see as much court time as they had anticipated, they still bring a lot of positivity to the team—there is no animosity.”