Getting Directly to the Point

With the basketball season quickly approaching, Ryun Williams needs to get to the point.

He wants junior Tori Williams back to her natural position of shooting guard. While she did fine running the show last season -- she led the team with 87 assists, and averaged 9.2 points per game. -- the coach and player both know she can be even more productive offensively when the ball isn't constantly in her hands.

When practice resumed this offseason, it was done so with the premise Tori would not have to be the floor general any more.

And the coach is excited about the abundance of opportunities the depth of his roster provides and to see which players will rise to the challenge of guiding a Division I offense. The Rams are taking a hard look at a trio at the spot, but one of them comes with an asterisk.

"Right now, everybody is doing a really good job," Coach Williams said. "We have yet to compete to where you can see if anybody is going to separate at that position. The way we look at it, it's not a 'point guard battle,' we just have a lot of options. We have a lot of good options. There are so many different ways we could go. We've taken an unconventional approach at times to that position, we're going to play whoever gives us the best chance to win that game. It's a benefit to have a lot of different options at that position. It's going to be very competitive to see who really rises to the top. We're excited about that."

During the 2019-2020 season, the Rams ranked first in scoring defense in the Mountain West (allowing 59.7 points per game), but struggled offensively (60.60 ppg) to rank ninth, leaving a wide gap the team hopes to close. It led to a 12-18 overall mark (6-12 in MW play), with a host of close losses.

Finding the right guard to run the show in different circumstances is exactly the point of practice, and a host of skillsets has already been on display, even if not under game conditions.

Ellie Boni practice

Sophomore transfer McKenna Hofschild is a hopeful prospect for the Rams. Last year at Seton Hall, she had a successful run, scoring a total of 38 points with 31 assists. The kicker is the program is still waiting on a waiver to see if she can be immediately eligible.

A returning option being explored is sophomore Katia Stamatelopoulos. She has experience under her belt for the Rams and is another potential fit after appearing in 24 games, three of those as a starter. She produced 43 assists while averaging 13.3 minutes of action.

In practices Stamatelopoulos is focused on keeping her head in the game and picking up games whenever possible to ensure that she is going to be ready for the team's first competition.

"I learned from my freshman year that decision making is really a big part of winning games," Stamatelopoulos said. "As a point guard, you have to have good decision making, otherwise your team isn't going to do well, you're not going to do well, and that all rides on you."

Then there is newcomer Ellie Boni, who is excited and willing to work hard to earn the starting position. One of four freshman on the 2020-2021 roster, Boni is hopeful her efforts in practice will pay off. She feeds off of the energy and adrenaline from her teammates, which motivates her to succeed. Despite having small struggles with the change of pace from high school to college, Boni is determined to rise to the challenge.

"The other girls on the team make me want to get better," Boni said. "Seeing them work hard as well and putting in all of their effort, seeing one girl be loud and communicate makes me want to be loud and communicate as well. Another motivation is through high school I started all four years, and I really want to have that opportunity here, and that motivates me individually. Work hard and if you put in that work, good stuff will happen."

Like everyone, Coach Williams has had a major wildcard thrown his way: COVID-19. Due to the nature of this virus, it is more vital than ever for him to employ a deep roster at every position to ensure the team will be successful regardless of the circumstances.

"Each game can be a little different depending on a lot of things," said Williams. "There could be injuries, and we have a long season. Especially with COVID, if somebody were to test positive, you better have some options at any position. We'll probably settle on one or two kids at that position that really dominate the minutes and roll from there."

But to the team, the point is clear. Even if who manning the position isn't.

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