Team of the Week: Shorthanded Sea Lions eager to take next step on the court

Point Loma Nazarene University is coming off record-setting, NCAA tournament campaigns for its men’s soccer and women’s volleyball programs.

Now the Sea Lions’ two basketball teams are off to fast starts.

It’s not by coincidence.

“There is something special going on at Point Loma Nazarene,” women’s basketball coach Charity Elliott said recently while expanding on a discussion of her team, which is riding an eight-game winning streak and is already off to a 4-0 start in PacWest Conference play. “I’ve worked at a lot of universities. But something different is going on here. Maybe it’s the smaller size of the campus nestled into its own little community. It’s likely so many things.

“There is so much pride in who we are and how we show up. We’re the first to celebrate volleyball going to the Final Four. And they’re there for us. You can say that about all the teams, athletes and students here. It speaks to the tremendous PLNU community. They know each other. We want to do what we do at a high level of excellence.”

The sense of community across PLNU athletics is not lost on the players Elliott coaches.

“We are proud of who we are and what our university stands for,” said senior forward Eiley Tippins, who doubles as the secretary of PLNU’s Student Athlete Leadership Team. “No one team stands alone. Each supports the rest. It’s unusual to find an athletic department like this one.”

Izzy Navarro agrees. A product of Cathedral Catholic High School, Navarro considered 15 colleges last spring when she entered the transfer portal at Concordia University.

“I wanted to play my final season closer to home,” Navarro said. “But one of the biggest factors in choosing Point Loma Nazarene was I wanted to play at a higher level. I wanted to improve my basketball and my personal growth as well as that of a student.

“That’s been 100% the case. I’m so grateful to be here. Within the first few weeks, I felt like I had been here all four years. There’s a huge sense of community in athletic department. It is really nice having that.”

The Sea Lions are looking to reach the NCAA Division II Women’s Tournament for a third straight season — a task made more difficult because last season’s 25-6 team graduated six regulars and this season’s edition lost three players to injuries during preseason drills, reducing the active roster to 10 players.

“We had some crazy funky things happen going into the season,” said Elliott. “Because of the departures, we had some important pieces that we had to bring in. We did a good job finding the right pieces. We’re still working on putting it together.

“I really like this group’s team-first mentality. We’re focused on what we have. And we have everything that we need.”

PLNU added sophomore forward Ruby Vlahov from Saint Mary’s and senior guard Maddie Morrow from the Academy of Art’s disbanded athletic program. The Sea Lions also signed freshman guard-forward Emma Sales from Olathe, Kan., to join a newcomer class that also includes Navarro.

The new-look Sea Lions have switched from a strict guard-oriented attack to one that takes advantage of four strong post players: the 6-foot-2 Tippins, the 6-3 Vlahov, the 5-11 Maddie Mersch and Sales, a 5-10 freshman.

“We want to play fast,” said Elliott. “But when we have the posts that we do, we’re going to use them.  We can run and we play half-court. If teams take one thing away, we can go the other way.”

In one word, balance.

Four players average double figures in points, and five average 4.4 or more rebounds a game. Nine players average 15 1/2 minutes or more per game.

Navarro leads the team with 13.2 points and 5.6 assists per game. Vlahov is averaging 12.6 points and 6.6 rebounds a game. Junior guard Hannah Golan is averaging 11.8 points and a team-leading 8.1 rebounds a game.  Tippins is averaging 10.4 point and 4.6 rebounds a game.

The 5-8 Navarro earned PacWest Player of the Week honors for scoring 33 points with 14 assists, 10 rebounds and seven steals in two wins last week.

“Navarro is a competitor,” said Elliott. “She is super quick with great instincts offensively and defensively and is a great leader on the floor. Her growth over the last six weeks learning our system has been very impressive. She is up there in every category. She is playing with confidence and freedom.

“Tippins is a senior captain and the loudest player on the floor. She has a huge defensive presence.”

Tippins said while it’s “kind of insane” to only have 10 players healthy, the Sea Lions’ collective versatility helps them.

“It can be anyone’s night,” she said. “Bringing in Ruby changed some things. And we have great guards and shooters on the outside. Losing six players from last season’s team left us wondering. But we have the right pieces and mindset. We have that Point Loma Nazarene bond.”

Added Navarro:  “It doesn’t feel like there’s only 10 of us. We play together.”

Every week during the school year, U-T contributor Bill Center highlights one San Diego college team that’s making strides on and off the field. To nominate a team, email wcenter27@gmail.com