University of the Pacific’s women’s basketball team has returned to campus to prepare for the upcoming season, starting with an 11-day trip to Spain beginning July 31.

The team is looking to capitalize on last season’s surge at the end of the regular season with six wins in the last eight games and two wins in the West Coast Conference Tournament.

Bradley Davis, who is entering his ninth season as head coach and his 18th on the Pacific staff, shared his thoughts as his team returned to campus.

It seems like the Spain trip could give your team a competitive boost. How are you handling it?

Davis: Honestly, the top priority is the cultural experience we can give our student-athletes. As a student-athlete, they sacrifice opportunities like the ability to study abroad. This opportunity to provide an international experience, one that many would not otherwise experience, is priority number one.

The second priority is the opportunity to bond and build that team chemistry that we know is so important. Typically, a trip like this carries over and enhances those bonds during the season. We expect to come back as a closer program.

The third priority is obviously basketball. Basketball has given us this opportunity and we will get a head start with practice and get to play a few games in August. That’s never a bad thing. But this trip really goes back to the cultural and educational experience for our student-athletes as the top reason for the trip.

Has the staff seen the momentum from the end of the season extend into the offseason?

Davis: The momentum has manifested itself as motivation. We will see that as we get into practice and start preparing for the trip and the season. It will be incumbent on us as coaches to manage the motivation. We are starting earlier (in Spain) so we don’t burn out when we hit February.

The program returns many of its key players including most of its top scorers from last season. Does that give you some comfort?

Davis: It has been a couple of years since we’ve had this much experience returning. Experience matters. A couple of years ago, we had a particularly young team and ran into other teams in our conference that were more experienced. You realize what a difference experience can make.

What comes from experience is more than just basketball knowledge; it’s motivation. In March, we made it to the semifinals and lost by three. I think our improvement last year was based on experience, and we hope to see more of it this year.

What does the six-member recruiting class add to the team?

Davis: We added height and length. We graduated Cass, but brought in 6-5 and 6-4 players in Endi and Lauren and Jamie, who is about 6-0 at the forward spot. We also add Stella, Nyah and Kenlee who are all 5’10 or taller. In addition to their length and skill set, I think we have a good mix of experience from state titles and conference championships to national team level play.

Your program seems to have more of an emphasis on freshmen, rather than the transfer portal.

Davis: I think Pacific is a unique place. A student-athlete can get a great education at one of the best universities in the country and play basketball in one of the top women’s basketball conferences. We want student-athletes who buy into that culture of wanting to do both. When we bring in freshmen who invest in Pacific for four years, it helps us develop a sustained culture. It’s also a culture that has been attractive to transfers who fit who we are and who are looking for what we are about. We want student-athletes that buy into loving being a part of the Pacific family long term. It’s an investment that pays off for the individual and the program.

Associate Head Coach Amy Starr has been on your staff for the past eight seasons. Amanda Brown is headed into her seventh season. How valuable is the continuity in your coaching staff?

Davis: It’s great. My job is to surround our players with great people—student-athletes and coaches. I couldn’t be happier with our past staffs and especially the staff with whom we head into next season. The continuity within the program is really valuable. We added Jovana (Subasic) as an assistant coach last year and she has brought a skillset of analytics and valuable international experience.

We also brought back Val Higgins this year as a staff member. She is in her first season as a coach, but she has been in the program for four years and not only knows what we are all about, she is what we are all about. Add to that her experience as a player, with the national team, overseas; she will be a valuable mentor and coach to our team. Kristen (Vanzetti) joined us last season in our director of operations role. She has roots in Stockton and hits home on the points of family and community that are core values within our program. I’m excited to come to work every day with our staff, but more than that I know we have a great group surrounding our student-athletes.

Follow the program’s trip on PacificTigers.com and through the team’s social media accounts.