Second of two parts
Even at the Division III level adjustments are necessary, which is the case for both Macalester Scots basketball teams with new coaches this season. It certainly is expected for both players and coaches, especially returning ones. And even more so for first-year players.
WBB welcomed winter break
The recently ended holiday break couldn’t have come at a better time for Sydnee Smith (Gainesville, Va.) and Acacia Edmond (Houston, Tx.), two returnees from last year’s Scots women’s basketball team. Their last game of the 2025 calendar year was a two-point loss at home vs. Carleton College Dec. 10,
After nearly three weeks off, an eternity in a college basketball schedule, both players told MSR after a Jan. 3 home game that being able to go home for the holidays was greatly welcomed and appreciated.
“I had a really great time with my family,” said Smith. “Just a lot of rest.”
Said Edmond, “It was just nice to be able to be with my family and be with people who I care about a lot, who care about me — my support system. It was nice to be in some warm weather this past break as well.”
Smith and Edmond, both juniors, also expressed relief after surviving a tough fall semester of classes.
“I completed a really hard semester,” stressed Smith, a biology major. “I took biocem, anatomy and physiology, and a sociology class. I also took an anthropology class. I got through it and I enjoyed it a lot.”
“This past semester was also pretty tough for me,” added Edmond, an Academic All-MIAC last season, “but it was good to be able to learn and grow different skills that I haven’t been able to do with both my computer science and biology major.”
Outside of the classroom, Smith, Edmond, and their teammates also had to adjust to a new coaching system led by AD Donovan. The Scots are still seeking their first conference win.
“We’re definitely rebuilding this year,” declared the 5’9” Smith, who has started 45 of 48 games in her first two seasons at Mac. The guard has been the team’s leading scorer thus far this season (9.8 ppg). She had nine points and a block in an 86-71 defeat at Augsburg last Saturday to remain winless in conference play (0-6, 1-11 overall).
“We got a new coaching staff, so it’s a lot to learn. We’re playing with a whole new starting five as well,” she pointed out.
Said the 5’3” Edmond, “It’s always fun to grow and learn with this group of girls here … who put 100% in every day.”
Smith and Edmond are the Scots’ only Black players on the roster. Both believe that brighter days lie ahead for the team this season. “We’re all so excited to be here again,” said Smith. “I think we’re progressing, too.”
MBB sets faster pace
St. Paul native Jamal Randle was recruited out of high school by former Macalister head coach Abe Woldeslassie. Randle played varsity basketball for Great River School in St. Paul through a partnership with Twin Cities Academy.
“Abe did a pretty good job. He made me feel at home,” the 5’11” guard told MSR on Woldeslassie, who left Mac last spring to take an assistant coaching job at Denver. “This is one of the places I really felt at home … On top of it, I love the academics. This is where I knew I wanted to go from the beginning.”
Two weekends ago, Randle reunited with Woldeslassie after the Denver-St. Thomas contest. We earlier asked how he handled the coaching change — Rich Glesmann was hired as the Scots’ new head coach.
“I think Coach Glesmann has done a pretty good job. He’s a really good coach,” said Randle.
Expectedly, Randle had to adjust from high school to college ball no matter who is coaching, no matter what level it is. How has the transition been for the freshman — rough, smooth, or somewhere in between?
“It’s been half and half,” admitted Randle. “It’s not as consistent. I think a lot of it is getting used to the pace. College is way faster than high school.”
Last month, however, it appeared that Randle found his groove — he came off the bench and led the Scots with 21 points in 19 minutes in an 86-78 loss at Carleton College Dec. 10, with 6-for-9 shooting from three-point land and snatching four steals in his best game thus far as a collegian.
He finished with nine points and a rebound in last Saturday’s 102-70 defeat at Augsburg to drop to 1-5 in league play (6-9 overall).
Randle is a biology major: “I’m doing nursing, premed,” he declared. “First of all, I don’t think there’s a lot of African American nurses, specifically male.
“But also, giving back to my community is really important, and something I wanted to focus on,” said Randle.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader comments to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.