“Ubuntu” in Swahili means, “I am because of who we are.” This is the philosophy women’s basketball head coach Mark Beinborn instills in his players. 

“We’re gonna have players that are going to be all-conference, we’re gonna have players who are going to be named player of the week, and so on, but without our team’s success and everybody doing what they do, they can’t do those things,” Beinborn said. 

Coach Beinborn emphasizes the importance of  “ubuntu” for every player’s accolades, and the team has been able to buy into this philosophy. However, the philosophy Beinborn instills in his team is difficult to establish at a collegiate level, as players are still young and still developing throughout their careers.

“It’s something that we push every year, and it’s something that’s a challenge, because we’re still talking about 18 to 21-year-olds, which that ego part is always there,” Coach Beinborn said.

On Friday, Nov. 18, the women’s basketball team won their third game since the start of their season, beating Dubuque by a score of 64-61. 

As of Monday Nov. 21, the women’s team holds a record of 4-1, having lost to Univerity of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and recently winning to Colorado College.

Throughout the five games played this season, the women have put their depth on display, having played quality performances against Loras.

“I believe in all of these players, they’re all capable of playing competitively. And on any given night, we have a lot of weapons that can get the job done,” Beinborn said.

The team, all around, has been able to put up points, having a diverse set of players with touches and buckets.

Although the season is relatively young, the team has been able to put together quality wins against tough opponents such as Dubuque, Loras and Simpson. Throughout the early season, the women have been able to play with sound chemistry, which is something that is difficult to attain early in the season.

The team continues to look for continued success on Saturday, Nov. 26 when they face off against Webster at 1 p.m. in the Roy Carver center.