SEGOVIA – IE women’s basketball team had their first game on Saturday against Cantaloupe Basket School at the Polideportivo Municipal, where they lost by 31 points. 

”Everyone is motivated to play, and I believe we can accomplish something special this year,” said Wadad Assaf, the team’s number four, before the game. 

The opposition was an experienced basketball club from a village close to Segovia. Their team mainly consisted of high school students, however as the IE’s team coach, Mauro Martin, said, “They have been working very well these past few years, and are a strong team.”

The IE women’s basketball team this year is not participating in the local league, mostly because of last year’s experience, where IE lost most of the games, and standards of other teams were not met by the university’s roster. 

“Our goal is to make the players learn and love basketball, and obviously teach them the basics as well. We want our players to have fun,” said Mauro Martin, IE women’s basketball coach.

The coach’s goal is primarily to improve his players’ abilities, but more importantly making sure the girls are having a good time. The coach stated that the schedule for games can be tough, therefore many girls later on in the year miss games due to external factors such as exams. 

The score was a heavy defeat for IE, but as Zoe Welz, the team’s number 13, said, “We played better in the second half, but we need to improve our movement and spacing, but more importantly, our communication. This was the first match we played together as a team and I only see us getting better from here.”

Spectators such as Isabella Massot felt sympathy for the team, arguing that some of the girls had no prior experience in basketball before the game.

The lack of league competitiveness and overall treatment of womens’ sports teams at IE left some puzzled, with Luna Tricio, a player in the IE women’s football team, saying, “There is a slight unfairness between the men’s and women’s sports teams, as the men receive much more recognition when compared to the women’s. I believe that not only the basketball team deserves more attention, but all women’s sport teams at IE.”