Ryan Rayos
The recent success of Grossmont College’s Women’s Basketball Team is an untold story of teamwork and pure talent. From underdogs, to top dogs, this team has made a huge turnaround and prevailed through obstacles. Just last season, this team had a terrible record accumulating a disappointing five wins with an astonishing number of nineteen losses. But this season, the Griffins have earned themselves a season record of twenty wins to just five losses. That is an eighty percent win rate which surely any college basketball team would be satisfied with.
Their teamwork, but more importantly, coaching has been one of the leading factors in how they transitioned from a losing team to a winning team in just one offseason. Led by head coach, Westley Perryman, better known as Coach Wes, the team was ranked nineteenth in the state just a month ago. But today, they still hold a twenty-third spot in the ranking among the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference (PCAP).
This is Coach Wes’ first season as Grossmont’s head coach and he had much to explain about his success claiming that, “If you know me you know I don’t even feel like it’s my first year. Sometimes I forget that I’m new because I carry myself like I’ve been here before,” Perryman said. “I’ve prepared myself for this moment my entire life. I’m so in my element when it comes to leading the next generation of Lady Hoopers and guiding them both on and off the court,” he added.
The team was cultivated on respect and teamwork, something that Coach Wes has learned to be very fond of in his players. “When I started out recruiting, I locked in on players who were like minded and who shared a similar love and passion for the game as I do. I have such a special group that’s completely bought into what I’m teaching them. I have their utmost respect and they have mine,” he added.
Coach Wes must be hinting at his secret weapon and star player in Kyla Palpallatoc, who is also a new member of this Grossmont squad. Palpallatoc has made headlines since high school, where she played for the Morse High School Tigers averaging 15.6 points per game her senior year. She also was ranked in the top 384 Nationally for 1 stat, top 44 in California for 1 stat, and top 6 in the San Diego Section for 1 stat during her high school career. Her success was not short lived as it continued to boil over into her college career. In Grossmont’s recent game against San Diego City College, Palpallatoc scored a career high 36 points while shooting 8-13 from the three point line. It was a team effort with teammates Anayla Anderson and Janea Wilson putting up their own supporting stats of 16 points, nine assists and 12 points, 14 rebounds. This team has only gotten better since the start of the season as they finish out the rest of it strong.
The Grossmont College Women’s Basketball Team has a bright future ahead of them and a hopeful present in their hands. The success and accomplishments that these women have achieved, represent school and campus spirit while playing for Grossmont. Let’s hope their success continues as Coach Wes develops and trains a pesky team in hopes of them winning it all.
