OGDEN, Utah (January 22, 2016)- Basketball has always been a big deal at Weber State. The Wildcat men’s program is one of the top programs in Big Sky history, and has occupied a perch at or near the top of the league for the past decade.
For the women's program, the road has been much tougher over the past few years. However, in coach Bethann Ord’s fifth year, three years after going 0-29, the Wildcats are 12-4 on the #RoadToReno, and play Idaho State Saturday with a chance to move closer to an opening round bye in the conference tournament in March.
With a sweep of Portland State and Sacramento State last weekend, the Weber State women are 4-1 in the Big Sky and gaining momentum as they prepare to host the Bengals on Saturday. However, the program hasn’t gotten to where it is from where it was by focusing on what’s happened. Instead, the Wildcats are focused on what more they can do.
"(Our improvement) starts with culture," said Weber State coach Bethann Ord. "When I first got here, we talked about that we had to change the culture. It doesn't happen overnight, but bringing in the right people, and the right staff, and having them gel, is important."
For years, there were questions about the direction of the Weber women’s programs, but Ord has silenced those critics this season, with a plan she devised when she started in Ogden.
"It is difficult, but we kept seeing little improvement," she said. "I had some great mentors: (Weber State men's coach Randy) Rahe; my athletic director, Jerry (Bovee), who's been terrific; and people in the community. It is easy just to come in somewhere and win."
One of the biggest parts of Weber State’s rebuilding projects has been senior guard Regina Okoye. Okoye led the nation in steals last season, and was named the Big Sky’s Player of the Week for averaging 24 points and ten rebounds in last weekend’s action.
However, Okoye takes the most joy in what’s happening in the locker room, and not in her trophy room.
"(Our success) is definitely a confidence-booster, because we know we've put in the work outside of games," she said. "We're on the court with blood, sweat and tears, so it feels really good to pay off and perform when it's game time and the lights are on."
As far as the growth of the program, Okoye said it’s been a tremendous learning experience to be apart of the rebirth of a program like Weber’s.
"(Winning) is the best feeling ever," she said. "Starting from when I first started to know, it's just amazing; it feels so good. I know that I would go to battle with this team; I love this team so much, so it's good to go to battle with them, and it feels good to get the wins."
That winning formula is something both Okoye and Ord are focused on keeping, although the coach in Ord knows the road only gets harder.
"We have to still tighten a lot of things up," Ord said. "We always focus forward, and we always have to see what we can do better. Little things matter."
The road for the Wildcats does indeed get tougher, as they head out for a two-game road trip with Northern Arizona and Southern Utah next week.
However, no matter how tough the #RoadToReno gets for Weber State, the ‘Cats can be confident they’ll know how to deal with it.