Head coach Bethany Miller talks strategy with her team. | Job Ang/THE CHIMES

Hard work and perseverance paid off as the women’s basketball team made their mark in Biola sports history. For the first time, the team made it to the quarterfinals of the NAIA tournament and finished the season ranked 20th in the nation with the guidance of new head coach Bethany Miller.

Miller steps up following Craford’s departure

Working as the assistant to the previous head coach Ken Crawford for six years, Miller learned from him and became more proficient in her own coaching. But this year, it was finally her turn to take the lead.

“The nice thing about the transition is that I was not coming from the outside in,” Miller said. “I was coming from the inside up and so that really helped establish early on the familiarity with the girls.”

Familiarity and good relationships between the coach and team are crucial for success in any team. This was no problem for this group. Miller focused on team building and made it a priority in order to create good chemistry throughout the season on and off the court.

“On the court she is our coach and we respect that, and she makes playing basketball fun,” senior Lauren Gustafson said. “But off the court she is our coach when we need her to be our coach, our friend when we need her to be our friend, or our mentor when we need her to be our mentor.”

The success of the team seemed uncertain as they started their season, losing two of the first three games against big teams like Vanguard University and Azusa Pacific University, and suffering three tough losses against Westmont College. Challenges like these came up throughout the season, but after a couple changes in their formations and play, the Eagles managed to consistently start winning games down the stretch. They ended the regular season with a seven game winning streak before losing the Golden State Athletic Conference semifinal game to Westmont.

Miller leaves behind memorable moments in debut season

According to Miller, one of her proudest moments during this season included the last-minute steal and victory against Azusa that had the stands at Chase Gymnasium electrified with emotion while they supported the team. But most recently, she looks back at the effective and consistent game they played against Langston University, the game that took them into the NAIA quarterfinals.

“The pure joy of seeing, especially the seniors, really accomplish what they had set out to accomplish. … It was just something that I cannot describe — the look on their face when they realized that they did it, that they made history,” she said.

Through unpredictability, struggles and victories, Miller’s faith is a characteristic seen and admired by her team and co-workers. Many of the positive outcomes that Biola experienced this year were due to the support from the administration but most importantly from God, according to Miller. She also mentioned how well her team worked together, and how working in a Christ-centered environment had helped her coaching.

Gustafson emphasized the impact that her coach had on her and the rest of her teammates.

“The amount of time that she puts into our lives on and off the court is what I will remember the most,” Gustafson said. “Multiple times she would remind us that she was praying for each individual on the team. She is an example of a true woman of God.”