Senior Kristen Lucek (#50) goes up for a jump ball.
Shattering free-throw records. Clawing their way to the top with grit and determination. Performing with style - aggressive, physical, and up-tempo. These are some of the qualities that have helped the Simmons Sharks gain their reputation in New England as a tenacious, competitive college basketball team. And this season, the Sharks are again vying for the playoffs, bolstered by finishing 4th out of 13 conference teams last year - the highest the program has ever finished during the regular season.
But Simmons's basketball program is a Cinderella story. Not long ago, basketball was little more than an intramural sport on campus. When Coach Tony Price was recruited in 2000, it was time for a change - starting with an attitude adjustment. Because the Sharks didn't have a track record for success, the first challenge was getting the team to expect nothing less than a playoff victory.
Simmons Coach Tony Price talks to players during a game.
Since then, Coach Price has built a strong program of talented young players, dedicated assistant coaches, and intensive training. The team takes sports as seriously as their studies, and players say it requires tremendous focus to keep grades high and stay physically and mentally fit for the season. Hard work and a winning habit have been paying off. During the 2003-2004 season, the Sharks won their first-ever Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) playoff game, and Price was voted GNAC Women's Basketball Coach of the Year. The following year, for the first time in school history, a player was named to the GNAC's first team, all-conference. Jen Caron '06 also set a conference record for free throws at 153, besting the old Simmons record of 125.
Today, led by five standout seniors, the Sharks are making another run at playoff success. Energized by a Jan. 7 victory over Worcester State College - a game in which senior Kristen Lucek posted a double-double (20 points, 13 rebounds) - the program hopes to extend its winning ways.
Senior Kristen Fucarile (#3) carries the ball down the court.
The players credit their success to determination, discipline, and devoted coaches who care about their future achievements, both on and off the court. Point guard Kristen Fucarile '06 credits Coach Price with sparking school pride and team spirit: "He's someone we all look up to and consider a role model. He demands hard work and that we put our hearts into playing the game."
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