After back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA National Tournament, the 2022-2023 version of the Lady indians basketball team have big shoes to fill and with six of the last seven National Champions coming from the Panhandle Conference, Head Coach Greg Franklin knows it won't be easy.
"If you can compete for a conference championship in this league you can definitely compete for a national championship and that is what we have our eyes set on," said Franklin.
The Lady Indians will begin their quest for a second national championship on November 4-5 when they join the men in hosting the Chipola Classic at the Milton H. Johnson Health Center.
Chipola will open with DME Academy, a post grad program located in Daytona Beach, and then face Hillsborough Community College, a 2021-22 FCSAA State Tournament participant, the next day. Panhandle rival, Pensacola State will also participate in the opening weekend tournament.
The following weekend, November 11-12, the Lady Indians will host the Veteran's Day Classic in The Milt. Gulf Coast State College will join Chipola against a pair of teams from the "Peach State," Central Georgia Tech and last year's NJCAA runner-up, Georgia Highlands College.
Chipola will play nine of its next ten games on the road with five of those games coming against teams that played in the 2021-22 FCSAA State Tournament.
After trips to Daytona State and Hillsborough, the Lady Indians will head to Fort Myers on December 9 to play in a weekend tournament on the campus of Florida SouthWestern.
In a rematch of an opening round game at last season's State Tournament, the Lady Indians will take on the host team. Chipola won that meeting between the two teams, 63-61 in overtime, to move on to the semifinals.
Chipola will take on the Sharks from Miami-Dade on Saturday before closing out the tournament on Sunday with Indian River State College, last season's FCSAA runner-up.
The last home game of 2022 for the Lady Indians will take place on Thursday, December 15, at noon against Florida State College of Jacksonville. Chipola will invite local elementary schools to bring their students for free basketball at The Milt. To sign-up to bring your class, please contact John Rushing, Assistant Athletic Director, at 850-718-2398 or email him at rushingj@chipola.edu.
Chipola will close out its non-conference schedule in Louisiana at the Lake Charles Classic on December 30-31. The Lady Indians will face Coahoma Community College from Clarksdale, Mississippi and Columbia State Community College from Columbia, Tennessee.
The new year brings Panhandle Conference action back to The Milt when the Lady Indians host the Raiders from Northwest Florida State on January 7. This season, Chipola will face the Raiders and Gulf Coast twice in Marianna and travel to Tallahassee Community College and Pensacola twice.
"I look forward to the rigors of this schedule where we will have to play multiple days," said Franklin. "This will be a good simulation to help us reach our goals of winning state and national championships."
Be sure to check the women's basketball schedule on ChipolaAthletics.com for any updates to the 2022-2023 schedule. You can also follow the Lady Indians on social media by going to the links below.
Twitter: @ChipolaWBB @ChipolaNation
Instagram: @Chipola_WBB
Facebook: ChipolaAthletics