"They're a great group to work with every day," said Head Coach Cindy Griffin. "They're very talented. They're hungry. They're competitive. They really work well together."
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The group is led by Junior Forward Talya Brugler. When she committed to play at SJU in May 2020, the team had just finished a nine-win season. She's had a major role in the culture shift on Hawk Hill.
"Coming in my freshman year, we barely had any fans at games, and now it feels packed, and we have a great atmosphere every game," Brugler said. "People want to come see us play."
"I think sometimes you do have to struggle in order to really enjoy the success," Griffin reflected. "If we didn't go through some of those struggles, I don't know if it would have been as enjoyable as what we're enjoying ourselves this year."
This team has a chance to capture greatness down the stretch and well into March, but they haven't thought about that quite yet.
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"We're focused on what's in front us, staying where our feet are. But we're just trying to take it one game at a time and handle business every day," Brugler said. "I'm just excited to keep playing with this group. There's thirteen of us, and one through thirteen is just like, a core. I never want to play with another group of girls."
Griffin says, "We want to go dancin' in March."
The Hawks will travel to play George Mason University on Thursday night. SJU is undefeated on the road, while GMU hasn't lost at home.