Reflect, Accept, Adapt, Respond 

When I think about what it means to be a Royal, I think about more than the games we play or the championships we compete for. Being a Royal is about how we respond when things do not go exactly as planned. My experience with basketball has taught me this firsthand. 

Last year, our team had an incredible season and made it all the way to the National Championship. We did not finish the way we had hoped, but reflecting on that season taught me something I did not expect: the score at the final buzzer was not what stayed with me. What stayed with me was how we trusted each other in the moments when the game slipped away from us, and how that trust was built long before we ever stepped on the court. That is the lesson I carried into this year. After such a successful season, a lot changed. We lost an amazing senior class that played a major role in helping us get to where we were, and our coaching staff moved on to new opportunities. We welcomed a new head coach, a new assistant coach, new teammates, and a new style of play. In many ways, it felt like we were starting over. 

It would have been easy to see all of these changes as something negative. Instead, we chose to accept the challenge. We cannot control everything that happens around us, but we can control how we respond. Accepting the changes does not mean forgetting what we built before. It means appreciating the past while being willing to move forward. This year has required us to adapt every day. We are learning a new system, adjusting to new expectations, and getting to know new people. We are challenging each other to improve while building the kind of relationships that make a team trust each other in the fourth quarter. We are learning that adapting does not mean losing who we are; it means growing into who we are becoming. 

Most importantly, we have to respond. We respond by showing up, working hard, and choosing to get better every day not because it is easy, but because it is who we are. 

To me, the Magis is not simply about winning more championships. It is about becoming better people, understanding ourselves more deeply, and growing in our relationship with God and with others. Basketball has taught me that sometimes the greatest growth comes from moments we did not choose. 

We may be a different team than we were last year, but we are still Royals. We reflect, accept, adapt, and respond together. 

Marisa Francione, Women's Basketball