From nothing to No. 1: Bonde has built RCTC into national power
Dec. 19—Four seasons ago the Rochester Community and Technical College women's basketball team didn't have enough players to field a team. In the short period since then, head coach Jason Bonde has turned the Yellowjackets into one of the top junior college teams in the country in Division III. Last week the Yellowjackets moved to the No. 1 spot in the NJCAA Division III national rankings. RCTC is currently 8-0 and has a goal of winning a national championship after placing third a year ago. Bonde talked about the team's success and the lofty goals the Yellowjackets have for the rest of this season.
POST BULLETIN: Your team had to put in a lot of work to climb to No. 1 in the national rankings. What does that mean for the program?
JASON BONDE: I think anytime you're recognized as the best team in the country, it's a big deal. To some people rankings don't mean a lot, but for what these players have done the last two years leading up to this year, I think it says a lot. I don't think RCTC's been ranked this high since 2009, the last time they won a national championship. It gives recognition to the program, it gives recognition to the players. ... You've got to have talent to get to that ranking and we definitely do have the talent.
PB: Is being ranked No. 1 a benefit or a burden for the team?
J.B.: It's a testament to the girls and how much work they've put in. They came back to try to win a national championship and this is something that can help in that process because obviously the higher you're ranked the easier your path is supposed to be. But that also puts a target on your back. There are four teams in our conference that are ranked in the top 15.
PB: Because they were granted a COVID year, many of your players are back for a third year. Having those veterans has to be a major asset.
J.B.: I have six players back for their third year and they're playing well: Olivia Christianson, Myia Ruzek, Ravyn Miles, Kandace Sikkink, Lexi Hugeback and Kassidy Broadwater. And Danika Jones is back from last year, too.
PB: You are not only unbeaten, but you are winning most of your games by lopsided margins. What has been the key to that success?
J.B.: I think it's the experience. They've played in a lot of games, they've played in a lot of big games. They have played against some good teams so anytime you get the experience that we have, that's a big-time bonus. In some senses they're juniors and you don't get that at the JUCO level very often.
PB: You placed third in the nation last year. Is there anything different about this year's team?
J.B.: I think it's the way they are approaching it. You've got those veteran players and they approach practice differently than they did as freshmen and sophomores. They approach the weight room differently, they approach their academics differently. All seven of those returners are going to graduate with (two-year) degrees and some of them already have degrees and they're just working on other things for the future that they want to go into.
PB: You have a talented team, but you don't seem to be winning on talent alone.
J.B.: Last year or the year before, sometimes we'd win a game, but we didn't win it the way we were supposed to. We've had more talent than some of the teams that we have played and this year we're winning the way we're supposed to. If you're supposed to win by a certain amount, that's what they're doing because that's them, that's what they want to do. They have some lofty goals, but it's how they're approaching it and how they want to do it is different. And you just don't get that from freshmen, and sometimes sophomores, because they don't understand what it all takes.
PB: Understanding what it takes probably means putting in extra time and effort by the coaches and players?
J.B.: They're all putting in extra work on their own. They all shoot an extra 150 free throws on their own throughout the week and they all get in there and get up extra shots on their own. It's kind of showing the last few games. We shot 50% from threes the other day. It's tough to lose games when you're shooting like that.
PB: You are battling some injury concerns right now, however.
J.B.: I'd like to say we're healthy, but we aren't. But we are healthy in key areas where we haven't always been in the past. But we have some injuries right now, but we'll see what happens. Kassidy Broadwater tore her ACL, we're still in the process of figuring that out (if she will be sidelined). We're just kind of waiting to evaluate that. And Lexi Hugeback is hurt right now, she's got some knee issues. Hopefully we get her back in a couple of weeks. ... One of our freshmen has a concussion, so just like every other team you go through the ups and downs of that.
PB: You have a great 1-2 scoring punch in Myia Ruzek (22.9 points per game) and two-time All-American Olivia Christianson (13.5). That combination has to be tough for foes to defend?
J.B.: Myia's shooting the ball extremely well and it's helping us and taking some pressure off some other players. It makes us tough to guard. A lot of teams are keying on Olivia and trying to take her away and a lot of them are reaping the success that Olivia has had in the past, too. When you're a two-time All-American, which doesn't happen very often, you get the best and Myia's taking advantage of that. They're going to have to start choosing which one they want to take away.
