Sante Fe Women’s Hoops Opens Season

The Sante Fe Saints women’s basketball team will open its season Tuesday against Hillsborough Community College. Tip off is set for 5:30 p.m.

Heading into a new season, head coach Chanda Stebbins said she is more confident than she was last year. Due to COVID-19, there were always girls who were out for days at a time and then pushed to their limit as soon as they got out of quarantine. Not only is that less of a factor this season, but Coach Stebbins said she has high hopes for the roster additions.

Transfer Triniti Youngblood is a standout among the few transfers that Stebbins mentioned. Coming from Saint Leo University, Youngblood, a sophomore, is looking to live up to her reputation in prep school. She was team captain at Brooks Debartolo High in Tampa, and scored 1,000 career points by the time she graduated.

Among the freshmen are local Gainesville resident Sydney English and Janise Paul. English went to PK Yonge High School and played point guard during her four years on the varsity team. She was team captain in her junior and senior seasons, with the 2022 All Area Honorable Mention honoree title under her belt. Paul went to Palm Beach Lakes Community High School. Standing at 6’0″, she was ranked near the top in Palm Beach County rebounding.

Santa Fe New Techniques

Competition will undeniably take place within the Saints team this season. As far as rotation goes, there are usually three or four girls fighting for the seven, eight and nine spots. This time around, Stebbins said she believes there will be eleven or twelve girls playing for a spot during practice and beyond. The athleticism on the new roster will promote competition within the squad and guard-heavy tactics and motion around the court, she said.

In regard to shooting, Coach Stebbins said she is dedicated to increasing their 25% from distance number up. As a former shooter, Stebbins identified the main action item in doing just that, which is being able to make a shot without anyone guarding. The second half of that battle is being able to assist people. Hitting teammates when they are open and accuracy is a task that the Saints will work on during those competitive practices, she said.

Moving Forward

Santa Fe has three games this week: Tuesday, Friday and Saturday between Hillsborough, East Georgia State and Tallahassee.