Fort Lewis College women’s basketball coach Lauren Zuniga wants her team to take a step forward in her second season as head coach, and it would be tough to take a step back after a challenging Year 1.
Last season, the Skyhawks finished 6-22 overall (5-22 against Division II opponents) and last in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference at 3-17 overall in Zuniga’s first year. FLC lost its final eight games, and six of those eight losses were by 10+ points.
The good news for the program and its fans is there are seven players returning from last year’s roster and a mix of promising freshmen and transfers.
“I'm really excited for Year 2,” Zuniga said. “Even just from last year to this year, I already feel more indebted to the community. I've met so many more fans, I’m really getting to know my returners’ family members, plus our new girls’ family members … The girls have put in so much time … We're excited to just be given another opportunity and excited to see what we do with it.”
Zuniga came to FLC in 2024 after she was the head coach of Northwest College, a junior college in Wyoming. After her first year at FLC, Zuniga recognized how, at the junior college level, you’re looking to place kids for the next level. Therefore, she didn’t have as sophisticated of an offense because there weren’t many returners. Zuniga loves how she can have returners at the Division II level, and it creates a different relationship compared to the junior college level.
She also learned a lot in her first year about the athletes needed to compete at the Division I level. Zuniga learned that she needed to scout opponents differently in the RMAC compared to what she used to do at the junior college level.
The Skyhawks will return their third-leading scorer from last year in senior guard Deniece Ryan and sophomore guard Katie Lamb.
Ryan was one of the quickest players in the conference last season, who could push the ball in transition and score around the basket. She averaged 11.0 points per game and was second on the team with 2.0 assists per game. Zuniga said she’s worked very hard on her 3-point shot.
Lamb was one of the bright spots on last year’s team. As a freshman, she averaged 9.1 PPG and was second on the team with 3.8 rebounds per game. Lamb came into college known as a shooter, and she did shoot 34% from 3-point range last season. Zuniga expects Lamb to have a big sophomore season as she’s worked on her scoring from all three levels with a strong 5-foot-8-inch frame.
Another player Zuniga expects to take a big step forward is sophomore guard Claudia Palacio Gámez. The 5-foot-11-inch Spanish guard averaged 4.2 PPG in 23.6 minutes per game.
“This year, she's in a completely different role,” Zuniga said about Palacio Gámez. “We have her playing point guard for us this year, so we're just really excited. She was an amazing point guard for the national team in Spain. Last year, we just felt like she needed a year under her belt to just learn, grow and learn English.”
Zuniga said she and assistant coach Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw had always planned for Palacio Gámez to play point guard, and Palacio Gámez was ready to run the show at her exit meeting at the end of last season.
Three important players FLC lost from last season were forward Darla Hernandez, guard Livia Knapp and guard Trista Hoobler. Hernandez graduated after leading the team in scoring and rebounding; Knapp also graduated after she led the team in assists and was second in scoring.
Hoobler is an interesting case. After spending two seasons with the Skyhawks and starting all 28 games last season, Hoobler joined the FLC softball team.
Heading into the offseason, Zuniga wanted to get players who had length, athleticism, shooting, size on the wings and in the paint. She wanted those attributes so her team could get up and down the floor and pressure the defense. Zuniga also wanted players who would fit the foundation and culture she established in Year 1.
“Building a solid foundation with our recruits and their families, just to make sure that their morals and values align with ours, is really important,” Zuniga said. “From there … it’s accountability, hard work ethic, getting it done on and off the court and very communicative. Those things build the foundation for our culture.”
Zuniga certainly addressed last year’s size problem in the offseason. At the end of last year, the Skyhawks had one player at least 6-feet-tall in their rotation. FLC brought in four players at least 6-feet-tall.
Senior forward Ashten Martinez comes to FLC after spending last season at Division II Delta State University, where she averaged 1.5 PPG. Zuniga expects the 6-foot-1-inch Martinez to stretch the floor and rebound. At 6-foot-2-inches, freshman Alemaualii Fonoti is expected to be a paint presence who can rebound.
The Skyhawks added more length and size with freshman guards Savanna Dotray and Josie Davis.
All of these players should help FLC continue to play its four-out, one-in, motion offense better in the half-court, according to Zuniga.
FLC will play seven of its eight nonconference games away from home, including its opener against Western New Mexico on Friday in Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Zuniga is 21-37 in her last two seasons as a head coach, dating back to her time in Wyoming. She’s put pressure on herself to do better because she’s a competitor. She wants to prove to the community that FLC can be prominent and dominant again, like it was 15-20 years ago. Zuniga has confidence in herself, staff and players, but she also isn’t promising anything unrealistic.
“We stressed this last year, and we talked about it with our returners and all of our recruits, is we're rebuilding,” Zuniga said. “It doesn't mean it has to be slow, but I can't sit here and tell you we're going to be first in the RMAC because I don't know. But the ultimate goal is to continue to get better every single year.”
bkelly@durangoherald.com
