Image courtesy of Kyle Lancto, Skidmore College.
The last few months have been a sensational time for fans of women’s basketball, especially at the college level. The electrifying championship game of the NCAA Women’s March Madness tournament on April 2 between Louisiana State University and University of Iowa set multiple viewership records, which contributed to the subsequent WNBA Draft being the most-watched draft to date. The anticipation for the upcoming WNBA season is unprecedented, creating a level of hype around women’s basketball that is palpable and deeply deserved.
The 2022-23 season for the Skidmore women’s basketball team was no exception from the buzz that has struck the country. The previous three seasons have yielded frustrating results for the Thoroughbreds, finishing 9-17 in the 2018-2019 season, 7-18 in the 2019-2020 season, and 14-10 last season, ending in a devastating overtime loss to St. Lawrence University in the Liberty League Quarterfinals. After these disappointing few years, the team came into this season determined to contend for a conference title.
And they did more than contend. For the first time since the 2017-2018 season, the Thoroughbreds took home the Liberty League title with an impressive 54-52 win on the road at #1-seed Ithaca College on February 26. The team ended the season with a 22-5 record, marking the program record for most wins in a season. The team then celebrated Skidmore women’s basketball’s first-ever NCAA tournament win, defeating Johns Hopkins University 62-59 with an incredible comeback in the fourth quarter. Though the historic playoff run was cut short by a 59-50 loss to Tufts University the next day, there is no doubt that this Thoroughbreds team was dynamic, energetic, and committed.
As an avid basketball fan whose time supporting Skidmore athletics was stunted by COVID-19, I was thrilled to watch the women’s basketball team find such success in my senior year. Because of this, I was enthusiastic to secure the opportunity to talk with some of the Thoroughbreds’ top players of the season– Kate McCarney ‘23, Julia Blanck ‘24, and Andi Levitz ‘25– as well as their head coach Jessica Turner about this special team and season.
All three players were awarded Liberty League Performer of the Week this season– Levitz back in November, McCarney after the championship win against Ithaca, and Blanck the week of the NCAA tournament. Additionally, Coach Turner and Assistant Coach Dariah Duncan were named Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year, and Blanck was voted to the All-Conference First Team. Blanck led the conference in blocks (62), blocks per game (2.1), and rebounds (285). Coach Turner was also named Region III Coach of the Year by D3hoops.com. This was Coach Turner’s third trip to the Liberty League playoffs in her five seasons as head coach.
I sat down with McCarney, Blanck, and Levitz together, which stimulated a fruitful conversation about the team’s motivations, challenges, and takeaways from the season. I wanted to jump right into talking about the NCAA tournament, which was hosted in Medford, Massachusetts at Tufts University. To my surprise, the experience was described as “pretty isolated” by Blanck, who mentioned that the extent of their interactions with the other teams was at the hotel, passing by at breakfast or in the elevator. In fact, the players shared an awkward moment in which they were sat next to the Johns Hopkins team at breakfast the morning after the Thoroughbreds knocked them out of the tournament. Levitz described the weekend concisely: “we didn’t explore anything other than the Westin [Hotel].”
But even strict on-court times or limited sociability could not obscure the excitement of the opportunity and the success of the season as a whole. We quickly began talking about the team’s culture this season and its impact on their achievements. McCarney started by saying that “we are 100% just one big family.” She continued: “We fought like family sometimes. And we kind of got at each other sometimes. But it was all out of love. And I think that was huge for us because it definitely translated on the court. I think we gelled well because of how much we loved each other and cared about each other and cared about the success of this team.” This attitude was certainly visible on the court, as eight Thoroughbreds averaged between 5.0 and 9.0 points per game this season, showcasing the team’s immense depth and chemistry. Skidmore also consistently out-scored (63.3 PPG vs. 52.3 PPG) and out-rebounded (43.7 RPG vs. 35.3 RPG) their opponents this season, further demonstrating their cohesion.
This sentiment was echoed by Coach Turner, who shared that “it doesn’t surprise me what we were able to accomplish [this season].” Coach Turner attributed much of the team’s success to their constant dedication, resilience, and accountability. She mentioned that as a Division III team, self-motivation is key, but “the accountability piece is what really took us to the next level.” These qualities were brought onto the court each day, resulting in a season in which Coach Turner stated there were few “bad” practices. “There could have been practices where the ball wasn’t going through the hoop,” she said. “But the effort was there, the energy was there, and the focus was there. And as a coach, that's what you want.”
Like McCarney, Coach Turner believes that the team’s “meaningful relationships with each other and the coaches” contributed to their performance. “You can tell that the players truly care about one another [and] each other’s success,” she elaborated. The players also made reference to the team’s seven members of the class of 2025, who have become comfortably meshed with the team now, adding new levels of depth and connection on the court.
A phrase Coach Turner reiterated to characterize the team’s culture was “be where your feet are,” a saying she attributes to her mother. “When you're practicing hard, and you're competitive, and you're there and you're present, and you're where your feet are, you're going to see success.” To that end, Coach Turner also reinforces the idea that in order to achieve genuine success, “it takes a village.” In one aspect, it’s about showing up when the team needs it. But it’s also about “understanding that there's a lot of stuff going on outside [of basketball] and valuing the time that we had on the court together,” she explained.
McCarney reciprocated these feelings and conveyed that “we go through a lot during the season, but [Coaches Turner and Duncan] are right there with us going through the same things from a different perspective, which is helpful.” Levitz added that there is a high level of trust between the players and the coaches that gets “carried onto the court.”
Another variable that led to an exciting and successful season for the Thoroughbreds was the presence of an enthusiastic crowd at home games. Especially coming off the heels of COVID-19 restrictions, the ability for fans to attend games massively benefited the team. “It’s obviously always a more fun environment to play in front of a big crowd,” Levitz expressed. “And that gives us energy, like, a lot of energy. And it hypes us up. I love it.” McCarney replied that “[the energy] is arguably one of the best things about playing in front of a crowd.”
The Thoroughbreds had a variety of supporters at their games this season, including Skidmore students, family members, girls from the team’s summer youth clinic, and even those who seem far removed from the Skidmore community. Blanck recounted that after a trip to Saratoga Senior Center, a group of seniors came to watch one of the games: “They were yelling the loudest, telling us to shoot more and get the rebound. It was really nice to see that.” She also reiterated that this support system was only one piece of the puzzle, citing the team’s athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach as being equally vital to their success.
Looking forward, there are high expectations for the Thoroughbreds ahead of next season. However, repeating as Liberty League Champions and succeeding in the NCAA Tournament will be no easy feat. When I asked Coach Turner about her preparation thus far, she prioritized three main things. “What I’ve told our team is stay hungry and humble,” she said. “We accomplished some really amazing things this past year. But once we start the new school year, none of that matters… We can't live in the past. We have to live in the present.” She also emphasized the importance of players' personal growth and summer training regiments so as to create a “better collective come October.” Thirdly, Coach Turner stressed that the team now has an X on their back. “Prior to this, we’ve always been the underdog,” she explained. “We’re no longer surprising people. We are now the team to beat, and we’re going to get each team’s best effort. And we have to be ready for that.”
I asked Levitz and Blanck the same question, and unsurprisingly I got a parallel response. “Pretty much for next season, I just want to do everything we did this year, and hopefully take it further,” Blanck stated. “We did it this year. Why can’t we do it next year?”
Images courtesy of Andi Levitz ‘25.