Women's Basketball Opens Practice

POCATELLO, Idaho - The first shot, the first pass, the first dive for a loose ball. It's back to a familiar place for Head Coach Seton Sobolewski and his team inside Reed Gym.

"We've had such a long layoff from basketball; it's exciting to be back at it." Sobolewski said.

The head coach enters his seventh season with Idaho State hoping to continue the run of 11 straight trips to the Big Sky Conference tournament.

"We are going to be a lot bigger and deeper," Sobolewski said. "I am anticipating we will be playing more people."

ISU's roster includes just two seniors in guards Jasmine Lemon and Rebecca Schrimpsher.

"It's a whole new team," Schrimpsher said. "I am excited to go hard and strong at it for my senior season. I am looking forward to making many good new memories this year."

Lemon returns to the lineup this season after playing just 19 games due to injury last year.

"I am excited to be back on the court playing," Lemon said. "I want to be a leader on this team and stay healthy."

"She brings us quickness and experience," Sobolewski said. "She's a really good perimeter shooter, especially off the dribble. She has a good feel for how to play basketball."

Idaho State opens the season with an exhibition game Saturday November 1 against Western New Mexico University at Reed Gym.  The Bengals will welcome Northwest Nazarene, Boise State, Drake, Utah Valley University and College of Idaho to Pocatello in addition to the regular Big Sky Conference schedule.

Road games at Washington State, Gonzaga, Seattle and Utah highlight the non-conference schedule ISU will also travel to Puerto Rico to play San Diego State and the University of Houston in a holiday tournament. 

"Everybody is just excited to come out and practice hard," Lemon said.

"We want to go out there and play hard and play for each other," Schrimpsher said.