TORRINGTON – The Eastern Wyoming College women’s basketball team hasn’t hung a banner in the Verl Petsch Jr. Activities Center since 1979.
A year ago, they came close after reaching the Region IX championship game, but this season, first year coach Tim Larsen and his 2022-23 squad has made it a goal to hang another banner in the gym.
Larsen comes from Pima (Arizona) Community College where he served as an assistant coach for two seasons before moving to Torrington and Eastern Wyoming College. During his time at Pima, he was a part of a team which placed eighth at the NJCAA National Tournament.
“I wish I could take credit. Being at Pima the last couple of years, I’ve learned so much from guys like Todd Holthaus and Jim Rosborough, who is an absolute legend down there,” Larsen said. “Todd has been there 16 years now, and it’s an eye-opening experience.”
He wants to bring the on-the-court success to EWC, but Larsen said it goes deeper than that.
He understands the makeup of the team changes from year-to-year at the junior college level.
“I think each and every year, it’s a new team especially at the junior college level,” Larsen said. “Some players move on. Some players graduate. You just never know. Each team is unique and different, and they get to carve out their own journey. My job is to help them reach their goals, not only a team, but as an individual.”
That’s why Larsen takes a player first approach.
“You see everything is about the basics, and the players need to know you care,” he said. “No matter what goes on on the floor, it stays on the floor, and you love them to death off the floor and you care for them.”
That’s the kind of culture Larsen wants to instill at EWC.
“It’s truly the off the court stuff that matters when building a program and doing it the right way,” he said.
On the floor though, Larsen loves a fast-paced game.
“When it comes to the season, I love to get up and down and be fast paced,” he said. “We like to run and make sure everyone is sharing the ball, and we get a lot of movement.”
The Lady Lancer season tips off on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5 against North Platte Community College and McCook Community College.
“I think we’ve got a good group. They work hard. Very coachable. They love being around each other,” Larsen said. “They drive me crazy sometimes, but what team doesn’t? They are a fun group, and they make it easy to want to come into the gym and work.”
The Lady Lancer squad includes Torrington High School alum Avery West and Sierra Allen, a mix of international players, as well as players from Colorado and Los Angeles, California.
“They are getting better every single day,” Larsen said. “We’ve got a couple of transfers, which is nice to get some experience coming in. We’ve got a good group of newcomers that are jelling with everyone. They love playing together and sharing the ball. I would like to get them to shoot more, but they love sharing the ball. They make it really easy to come to the gym and coach. They want to work and want to get better every day.”
