Behind the Scenes with Roadrunner Women's Hoops

I had the privilege of documenting some of the behind the scenes of the Women’s Basketball team at Linn-Benton Community College for my final Photojournalism project. I also had the opportunity to interview head coach Leslie Reinecker and two of the team captains, Muriel Jones-Hoisington and Natalia McBride. The Roadrunners are a very encouraging and energetic team and it was a lot of fun getting to know them.

Laney Snelling (#1) dribbles the ball down the court as she considers her next move against the U of O Club on November 28, 2023.

Natalia McBride (#4) smiles at the camera after being interviewed on November 15, 2023.

Natalia McBride is a Freshman majoring in Bio Health Science. Her position on the team is a power-forward/post and she was recently given the title of team captain. McBride is from Olympia, Washington and she has been playing basketball since she was in first grade. When asked if there are any coaches she looks up to, McBride said she looks up to her old club basketball coach because she really admires how calm and collected he is and strives to be like him.

She believes that the greatest challenge athletes face today is time management and getting enough sleep, due to having so many responsibilities while trying to balance school, work, and sports. When asked what she would like to accomplish within the next 5-10 years, McBride responded that she hopes to earn a bachelor's degree, possibly from OSU, in Bio Health Science and then go into medical school.

McBride considers two of her biggest achievements from playing basketball were when she got All League MVP her senior year of high school and becoming one of the Roadrunners' team captains.

Head coach Leslie Reinecker (right) instructs her players during practice on November 15. 

Head coach Leslie Reinecker has had 20 years of basketball coaching experience and has been at LBCC for five years. She was an assistant coach for four years at LB and this is her first year being head coach. When asked what she loves most about coaching, Reinecker responded, “The relationships that you get to build with the people that you’re working with. You get them for a short time, especially at the two year level, but [what I enjoy most is] getting to see the journey that they’re on and trying to help them get from where they are to where they want to be."

On the other hand, Reinecker believes the most challenging part about coaching is how quick the turnover is at the two year level because she never knows which players she's going to have each year. "You’re trying to build something but at the same time you know that you’re not going to have them for very long so you try to do what you can in the time that you have."

Some of Coach Leslie's core values as a basketball coach are building relationships and trying to move players on in life, not just in basketball. "This is a game that’s used as a tool more than anything else to get them moving on to where they want to be in life." In addition, she said she strives to make sure the Roadrunners play and approach the game the right way "to give us the best opportunities."

One of the Roadrunners' biggest goals and expectations for this season are to advance past the first round of the sweet sixteen tournament. "This program has been on a steady build from year to year for about the last four years making progress. We play in what is historically the toughest region so it’s a fight every night, depending on who we play. We made the tournament last year and gave the team that we played in the sweet sixteen all that they wanted but we came up a little bit short."

Avery Spikerman (#32), one of the team’s point guards, shoots the ball during practice on November 15.

According to Coach Leslie, an average evening practice starts with stretching and warming up and then reviewing their offensive sets. “There’s typically some fundamental work at some point and then we build towards more holistic team stuff, working on defense and offense. We’re typically known for our defensive stuff so there’s a lot of stuff that goes into that and a lot of time that’s taken. But at the same time, offensive we’ve got to work on some sets, we get some shooting in, and then we try to wrap it up as efficiently as possible.” 

Muriel Jones-Hoisington (#13) smiles at the camera after being interviewed on November 15.

Muriel Jones-Hoisington is a sophomore majoring in Nursing. She is from a reservation in Pendleton, Oregon called the Umatilla Indian Reservation and has been playing basketball with the neighborhood kids since she was five years old. She is the Roadrunners' other team captain and her position is a point guard. As team captain and point guard, Jones-Hoisington said, “I’m a leader on the court and off the court so it’s a big position for me and it’s pretty much just keeping the team dynamic good, giving each other positive reinforcement, and always trying to better each other.”

When asked if there are any coaches she looks up to, Jones-Hoisington referred to her Middle School and High School coach, Kim Taber. “She’s always been a big role model to me. She’s taken me in multiple times with living situations and she was the first person to really believe in me and to push me to be better.”

Something Jones-Hoisington hopes to accomplish within the next 5-10 years is to get her Nursing degree either through LB's program or somewhere else. She also hopes to travel the world, advance in basketball, and have her own house by then with "a stable environment for me and my siblings."

The players cheer for their team from the sideline after a great play by the Roadrunners on November 28.

The home game on November 28th ended with a winning score of 60-50. The Roadrunners have been working extremely hard since the winter season started just a few weeks ago, and their hard work has already paid off as they have been undefeated in the five games they've played so far. The players are optimistic that they will make it to the tournament again this year and hopefully advance past the first round.