FULLERTON, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball team will get a chance to test their new squad and prepare for the upcoming season tomorrow night as they host Cal State Los Angeles in an exhibition game at Titan Gym.
The doors to Titan Gym will open at 6:00 p.m. with the exhibition of four 10-minute quarters scheduled to tip-off at 7 p.m. Tickets to the exhibition are $5 and $8 parking is required on campus on week nights. Also, all Cal State Fullerton students get into the game for free!
Third-year head coach Daron Park sat down and spoke with FullertonTitans.com about practice and their preparation for the upcoming season.
www.FullertonTitans.com: What has been the focus for the team in preparation for the upcoming season?
Daron Park: The biggest thing that we've made a concerted effort as to focus on so far has been getting used to playing with each other. We're so new, we're so young, we've really spent a lot of time letting the girls play and become comfortable with each other, to learn about each other. We want them to understand what they can do on the floor, what they like, where they like the ball, how they like it and we've been trying to cram all of this getting to know you into a really short window.
FT: There are many new faces on the squad this season. Can you tell us a little about who you expect will make an impact on the floor this year?
DP: All of them. It's really a chance for people to earn minutes and earn their ability to impact this game. Obviously we're excited about our new faces and we're excited about our young kids, there's definitely minutes to be had, but we're also reliant upon our returners to anchor the team while we get these young kids ready to go. That starts with Samantha Logan, we'll count on her to be senior-like simply because she's been around us more than anybody. She should know how things are done, she should know what we expect, she should know how to react when certain things happen so it's up to her to not only to carry a huge load on the court as a two-year starter, but it's up to her to really impart our philosophy in the locker room and behind the scenes when we're not around and so far she's been doing a really good job at that.
FT: At the end of last season, you graduated Chante Miles and Kathleen Iwuoha who combined for almost half the field goals last season. What are some things that we can expect from the squad this year to fill that void and who do you expect will step up for the Titans?
DP: Sami will have an important role and she's got to do more than she did last year. Outside of that, we're excited about Karima Gabriel coming from Boston College. We expect her to anchor our post play and provide us a great option down low. After that, it's up to our young kids too, we recruited them to come in and play and to contribute and compete for minutes, and they're doing that right now so I think we'll have a much better idea two weeks from now after two exhibition games.
FT: You've welcomed Karen Middleton to your staff this season. What kind of an impact has she made so far with the team and what do you expect she'll bring to the squad throughout the rest of the season?
DP: Karen has been an amazing addition to our staff. Being a former Division I head coach, her knowledge and experience is second to none. She has sat in this chair, she has walked in my shoes, so she gets it. She's been amazing, the transition has been seamless, the kids have embraced her, she has done a wonderful job endearing herself to them. I really think that we are very lucky and very fortunate to get a person like Karen to come back to the West Coast and become a part of our program.
FT: After making it to the semi finals of the Big West tournament last season, what are some things that fans can expect to see from the 2015-16 Titans?
DP: I wish I had the perfect answer yet and I don't. We got to the semi finals last year thanks in large part to some seniors and now those seniors are gone. I think it's different than a team that finishes on a high note that has all these returners because you bond together and you look back at that and say, yes I want to be better than I was last year. We only have five returning players so the majority of our players are new. The majority of our team was not in the Big West Tournament last year so most of our team has no idea what that's like or what it takes to get to that point. Our five returners really need to do an amazing job at laying the foundation and sharing that story on a daily basis. They need to share what was good, what was bad, what we could've done better. Hopefully this year we can kick that door in a little bit more and really cement ourselves as a really solid program in the Big West Conference.
Additional Women's Basketball Events
BasketBowl Event
The Cal State Fullerton women's basketball team invites family, friends, supporters and fans to its second annual BasketBowl event at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015. The Titans are asking you to join them in a fun filled afternoon that includes unlimited bowling, billiards, food and drinks in support of the 2015-2016 women's basketball team. The afternoon will also include a silent auction as well as a chance to meet and greet with this year's squad and coaching staff.
The event will take place at the Titan Bowl and Billiards in the Titan Student Union located on campus and the cost per person is $45.
To RSVP for the event, click HERE.
If you have any questions please contact Marcela Lucero at (657) 278-7016 or malucero@fullerton.edu.
Tickets
Season and single-game tickets for the 2015-16 Cal State Fullerton women's basketball season are on sale NOW. The schedule is highlighted by 14 home dates including six non-conference home games and visits from Portland State, San Diego and Eastern Washington. For more information about purchasing season or single-game tickets, click HERE.
Women's Basketball Season Ticket Prices: Courtside Seats - $128* General Admission Adult / Senior - $78* General Admission Youth - $65*
*Season tickets include the following exhibitions games:
- Oct. 29- vs. Cal State Los Angeles
- Nov. 6- Both men's and women's exhibition games. (The women play Hope International University and men play Bethesda University)
Exhibition game ticket prices- $5 (All ages)
Regular Season games: Courtside Seats - $20 | General Admission Adult - $8 | General Admission Senior (65+) | $7 General Admission | Youth (3-12) - $6
Season tickets can now be purchased online (24 hours a day) for the both the men's and women's programs. In addition, season tickets can be purchased in person at the Athletics Ticket Office, and over the phone at 657-278-2783. For more information, click HERE
