• DMACC returns five sophomores from last season
• Kovarik wants her team to play fast
• Kovarik sees her team's strengths as quickness and being aggressive on defense

The DMACC women's basketball team begins the 2022-23 season in the Bank of Valey Classic today and Nov. 4 at Columbus, Neb. The Bears will face Southeast (Neb.) Community College (SECC) today and will play Central (Neb.) Community College (CCC) on Nov. 4.

DMACC begins a new era under head coach Jocelyn Kovarik. Kovarik replaces former head coach Steve Krafcisin, who retired last season after 17 years as the DMACC women's basketball coach. Kovarik played at DMACC in 2006 and '07, earning All-American honors both seasons. She transferred to Iowa State University (ISU), where she played women's basketball for two seasons and returned DMACC as an assistant women's basketball coach 12 years ago. Kovarik holds DMACC single-season and career records for blocked shots.

"I'm pretty excited about all of the gals," Kovarik said. "We have some really great freshmen who are complementing our team really well."

The Bears return five sophomores from last season, Reagan Franzen of Polk City, Jadeyn Smith of Arcadia, Jensen Archibald of Martinsdale, Lexi Branning of Manning and Camry Jones of Okoboji. Archibald played for DMACC in 2020-21 but sat out last season.

Kovarik said the Bears have a super intelligent and quick point guard in freshman Kennedy Jones from Oak Park, Ill.

"She's a great kid and always does what you ask," Kovarik said. "She can get the ball up the floor and into the paint with anybody on her. We want to push the ball and (in scrimmage games) we have been able to do that. She will be a huge part of how we play."

Other point guard candidates include freshmen Pearl Reisz of Council Bluffs, Jaden Ainley of Clear Lake and Chassidy Henwood of Newton. Shooting guard candidates are Henwood, Archibald, Smith, Franzen, who played forward last season, and Reanna Hutchinson.

"(Franzen) still has her inside game so if she has a little guard guarding her, she can score inside," Kovarik said.

Inside players are Branning, Jones and freshmen Rebekah Fuller of Bondurant, Hallie Mohr of Morning Sun, Mallory Behnken of Messena, Adriana Contreras-Gomez of Commerce City, Colo., and Emma Robbins of Kedington, Suffolk, England.

Kovarik said the Bears will run offensive sets and play defense much like they did when Krafcisin was the head coach.

"We'll run similar things," Kovarik said. "We've added a few tweaks and some options, things I learned from (Krafcisin)," Kovarik said. "Our press will be slightly different. We want the press to be a big part of what we do."

Kovarik said she wants her team to play fast, get the ball up the floor, look inside and try to get something out of that.

"If we can't, then we will set it up, slow it down and get some half-court options out of that," Kovarik said. "It will definitely be an advantage if we can get the ball up the court quickly."

Kovarik said her team's strength is speed and being aggressive on defense.

"I think the aggressiveness we want on defense is going to be big for us," Kovarik said, adding that her main concern is keeping her team healthy.

"We have 15 gals and they haven't sat out for injury or anything like that,' Kovarik said. "That's been big for us."

Following the Bank of Valey Classic, the DMACC women's basketball team will play in the Kirkwood Classic Nov. 11 and 12 at Cedar Rapids and the Great Western Classic Nov. 18 and 19 at Fort Dodge. The Bears will then face Black Hawk College (BHC) Nov. 22 at Moline, Ill., before opening the home season against the Grand View University (GVU) Nov. 29 inside the DMACC gymnasium.