The Kansas Wesleyan women’s basketball ended first semester on a roll, winning seven in a row before departing for the Christmas break. The Coyotes are 11-3 overall, 7-2 in conference play, and received votes in the latest NAIA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll.
Amanda Hill has played a pivotal role in the success. She leads the team in scoring at 17.1 points, ranks second in field goal percentage in the KCAC at 52.8 percent (95 of 180) and is just as accurate from 3-point range, shooting 52.5 percent (31 of 59). She scored a career-high 26 points in KWU’s 79-62 victory over Southwestern on Saturday at Mabee Arena.
Hill’s also the Coyotes’ second-leading rebounder at 6.4 and has made huge strides in her play defensively as well.
She averaged 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds last season, but came on strong at the end when she averaged 10.6 points.
Hill’s joined on the team this season by her sister Caila, a freshman forward who’s appeared in seven varsity games.
Amanda Hill discussed her improvement, playing with Caila and the Coyotes’ success during a recent question and answer session.
Question: You’ve improved in every offensive category and on the defensive end of the floor. What did you do during the off-season that made a difference?
Hill: I worked every day during the summer with my sister, it was good to have her. We just worked in the gym on what I needed to work on. Me and (Coach Ryan) Showman sat down and talked about what I needed to do and what he expected of me this year. I knew I needed to work on my rebounding, my defense – that’s something I really worked at – and let my offense come along. And I had my sister there to push me.
Question: Your offensive numbers are higher across the board. Was there a lot of shooting involved?
Hill: Yes. My dad (Brian) is really knowledgeable about the game, he taught me everything. He was always in there helping me and giving me tips and how to succeed. I’m really thankful for him.
Question: You frequently use the backboard when shooting, something you don’t often see these days. How much do you work on that?
Hill: My dad taught me how to shoot it off the backboard and just getting it to fall. It’s just something I’ve worked on. I think the backboard’s really forgiving … it saves me sometimes. It banks it in there for me.
To read the remainder of the Q&A session, including comments on Hill’s academic work, please visit kwucoyotes.com.
