Lady 'Bolts take Vegas by storm

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class David Owsianka
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  With a new coaching staff leading the way, the Luke Air Force Base Varsity Women's Basketball team has made a name for themselves on the court starting their season with a 7-1 record.

Ronald Aragon, Elijah Maclaren, and Danielle Ayers, all from the 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron, are the coaches who have led the lady Thunderbolts to victory this year.

"Having the base basketball team is important because it provides the players a chance to continue playing while serving in the Air Force," Ayers said. "This also gives players the opportunity to gain a wealth of experience by playing against other Air Force and community college teams."

During games, the coaches can adjust the team's strategies because of the skill set of the players.

"We have a lot of players who are naturals at each position," Aragon said. "This allows us to adjust our style of play to match or take advantage of our opponents."

The team recently took home the Pacific West championship title. The tournament was in Las Vegas, Nev.

"The tournament helped us become more familiar with what our players can and can't do in game time situations," Maclaren said. "We coach to win, but we put everyone in the game to give our players the experience needed to help us become better as a team."

Playing well on the court has prompted invitations to other tournaments.

"After the last tournament, the players were invited to play at the Air Force Academy," Maclaren said, but were unable to attend due to mission requirements.

The team will continue to play three to four games a month until the end of the season in March.

The coaches have their goals set high for the rest of the season.

"We hope to continue our reign as No. 1 in the PacWest conference," Aragon said. "It's a privilege and honor for us to represent Luke Air Force Base well."