Although COVID-19 has altered the way sports are functioning, that hasn’t stopped the Wildcat basketball team from preparing for a possible season this winter.

“There have been lots of talks, rumors and projections about this season,” head coach Julie Goodenough said. “As of right now, we are moving forward with our normal schedule. We actually have a head coaches’ meeting next Tuesday with the conference to discuss more.”

The NCAA is also reported to meet within the next few weeks to discuss the start of the 2020-2021 season. A decision is expected to be finalized by mid-September.

Aside from physical health, coronavirus has tested the mental well-being of the entire world. For the Wildcats, the anguish hit harder than expected.

“I went through a grieving process in March,” Goodenough said. ” We arguably had the best team that ACU has ever had. I felt like we had been cheated out of advancing to another conference championship. As long as I knew that God was in control, I could sleep better at night.”

Last season, the Wildcats ranked first in many categories in the Southland conference including scoring, three-point field percentage, field goal percentage and steals. Along with having six seniors graduate last season, the Wildcats will look for veterans such as senior forwards Mikayla Mabry and Alyssa Adams to step in and lead the team.

“We expect a lot out of our junior and senior players,” Goodenough said. “One of our expectations is that the practices are be led by them. They should set the tone with their energy, attitude and how they communicate.”

The Wildcats look to continue to dominate the scoreboard while tweaking their mindset on the hardwood.

“We have the talent to win games, but we are going to have to be tougher,” Goodenough said. “We graduated a lot of our grit and toughness with our seniors. As far as a team, we want to continue to dominate offensively. Yes, we might have to get better defensively, but it’s more fun scoring 85 points a night rather than 60.”