LEWISTON, Maine — When a senior enters his or her final season suiting up for a team, the goal is always to be remembered on a positive note.
After three years of grinding through the ups and downs that come with a sports season, seniors are often motivated to stamp their careers on a good memory. That’s what Bates College’s Emily Freedland is looking to accomplish this winter.
A senior guard on the Bates women’s basketball team, Freedland enters her final season wearing the maroon and white Bobcats uniform. With that in mind, Freedland, a Marblehead native, isn’t taking anything for granted this season.
“It’s weird, it’s my last year so I’m not taking anything for granted. As a team, we’re looking to go forward in the NESCAC playoffs and go further than last year,” Freedland said. “Individually, I’m trying to approach every game like it’s my last. It all went by so fast and I can’t believe it’s my last season.”
Last winter the Bobcats finished at 8-16, winning three of their 10 NESCAC contests. Bates reached the NESCAC Tournament but was handed an early exit at the hands of eventual NCAA Division III Champion Amherst in the first round.
“We had a good season,” Freedland said. “We lost to Amherst in the playoffs and they went onto win the National Championship. We lost two key seniors. I started off pretty strong but I was limited later on in the year with a back injury. This year we’re a little more guard-oriented. We’re using speed to our advantage.”
Coming into the season, Freedland was focused on improving her scoring abilities and gaining confidence on the offensive end. While she noticed a sense of hesitancy last winter, Freedland’s working on capitalizing on scoring chances this time around.
“Last year, I was a little hesitant to take shots,” Freedland said. “It comes with being a senior, I’m becoming a little more confident with taking those shots. Confidence is an area where I’m working on improving and that’s something I’ve been doing since last season.”
Through six games this season, all starts, Freedland’s averaging 7.0 points per game, along with 2.7 rebounds, while shooting 28 percent from the field and 33 percent from beyond the arc. She scored a season-high 12 points in a loss to Smith on Nov. 19 and most recently contributed with six points in Friday’s win over Maine-Augusta.
“Right now we’re starting four guards,” Freedland said. “We’re very quick, we’re in great shape and we’re athletic. I think we’re definitely going to use our speed and athleticism to our advantage. As a team, Coach (Allison) Montgomery is really stressing positive energy. It’s evident thus far that we’re an energetic team. We’re all positive teammates towards one another and I think that’ll help us go far.”
Thus far, the Bobcats are 2-4 on the season. Although the team’s record doesn’t indicate an ideal start, Freedland believes Bates has played better than its mark shows.
“Our record doesn’t show how we’ve been playing,” Freedland said. “We’re a much different team than last season so we’re still getting used to a different style of play. The outcomes of our games haven’t been what we’ve been looking for but we’ve played well. We have time to turn things around and I think we’ll do that in the next few games.”
Hoping to end her Bates career with a deep run in the NESCAC Tournament, Freedland foresees a competitive conference this winter. That means ending her college hoops career on a winning note won’t be an easy task.
“Once we enter NESCAC play, we know every game will be a competitive game,” Freedland said. “We have to focus on the strengths of every team and use our strengths to our advantage. We have to push the ball in transition and leave everything on the court. We know that every team in our conference has the same goal.
“It’s a very competitive conference,” Freedland said. “Two teams (Amherst, Tufts) in our conference competed for the National Championship last year. You can’t take anybody lightly because every game is a fight.”
A three-sport athlete in her days at Marblehead High, Freedland also starred for the Magicians’ girls soccer and lacrosse teams in addition to basketball. She played four years of varsity hoops from the point guard position, while also captaining the lacrosse and basketball teams her junior and senior seasons.
Knowing what it took to balance sports and school work year-round in high school gave Freedland a good idea for the tasks she’d come across as a student athlete in college.
“It’s not necessarily difficult because I’ve been playing basketball since I was in high school,” Freedland said. “Knowing we have practice in the evenings means I have to get my schoolwork done beforehand. Sometimes we’ll all study together as a team. It helps my time management skills. I’ve really enjoyed being a student here at Bates.”
Bates is back on the court tonight when the Bobcats host Colby in Lewiston.
