With the departure of Diana Delva and Erica Beverly, everyone knew that this Women’s Basketball team was not as strong as it had been last season, when they were ranked 19th in the country. However, with the return of Jackie Smith, Ilicia Mathis, and other top notch athletes many still felt they were still a top competitive team.

What I saw last Friday at Central, and the other night at Boston College, was not a competitive team. In that central game they had the appearance of a lagging defense. Although they only got ten less rebounds than the Blue Devils they appeared to be unable to get any. The largest discrepancy, however, was the number of field goals. In the first half they went 4-24 and overall made only 22% of their shots. Most of the points in that game were made off of free throws. As far as the Boston College game goes the only thing I can say is that it has been ten years since they allowed over 90 points.

Jen Rizzotti seems to be calm and collected during these loses too. Not the Rizzotti we know from the past that was more likely to flip out after a loss than laugh about it. Of course according to players on the team she has been chewing them out all week. These are certainly different times indeed but is it time for panic mood? The last time the Hawks lost their first two games was in 2002 when they went 7-21. Hopefully that will not be he case this season. Many can’t help but wonder are the days of the “Hawk Dynasty” over? Will Women’s Basketball become just another sport at Hartford? Can the Men’s team be better than the Women’s this season?

I say its too soon to tell. They still have a lot of time before Conference play starts. For now don’t expect many non-conference wins. Penn State, Green Bay, and Temple are all fighting for AP votes. Marist and Dartmouth always give us a hard time. It may be best to wait until January 2nd when we play Vermont. That is where I believe the Hawks will start to shine once again.