Brockport Women's Basketball Preview: Team 50 looking to rewrite history

By: Dahani Woodward

BROCKPORT, NY --- The Brockport Golden Eagles women’s basketball team led by Head Coach Corrine Jones have one goal in mind and that's to pull through the Empire 8 Conference and win a championship. After making it to the Empire 8 title game in its first season in the conference last year, Brockport fell to the defending champs, the SUNY Geneseo Knights and are looking for revenge. 

The 2025 Brockport Women's Basketball squad. (Photo Credits: Liv Metz).

 BROCKPORT, NY– The Brockport Golden Eagles women’s basketball team led by Head Coach Corrine Jones have one goal in mind and that's to pull through the Empire 8 Conference and win a championship. After making it to the Empire 8 title game in its first season in the conference last year, Brockport fell to the defending champs, the SUNY Geneseo Knights and are looking for revenge. 

The entire Empire 8 conference consists of the same enemies Brockport has to go through as last season. 

Last year the Golden Eagles ranked first in the Empire 8 conference with a 24-5 record. Despite not winning a conference title, the Golden Eagles still earned an NCAA DIII tournament bid, its sixth in program history. 

Brockport ended up falling to Elizabethtown in the opening round of the national tournament, but it gave the Golden Eagles momentum heading into the 2025 season for the culture Brockport strived to create. 

“This is where we wanted to be as a staff for a very long time and we are there now,” Jones said. “It has taken a lot of work, sweat and tears and it’s been a labor of love. This is something we built that we want to stay so it’s just been explaining to them what that process is and what it looks like. We were never worried much about the result last year, it just took care of itself. We put in the time, we behave the right ways, follow our culture. This is something where we are going to be winners.” 

On Nov. 8th the Brockport opened up the season on the road at Penn State Behrend. In a close matchup, the Golden Eagles fell 83-76. 

On Nov. 21st Brockport will host William Smith College at 5 p.m. This will be the Golden Eagles first home game of the year. 

Corrine Jones coaching her squad. Jones is entering her 11th season as the head coach of the Golden Eagles. (Photo Credits: Liv Metz)

Under Coach Jones, The Golden Eagles led the Empire 8 conference in combined team rebounds, averaging 45 rebounds a game. Brockport ranked first in offensive rebounding  averaging 16 offensive boards. From a scoring offense and a hustling defense, Brockport recorded a 10-game winning streak in the midst of the 2024-2025 season. 

“It has to be lived everyday, everyday matters” Jones said. “You’re not only coaching as a head coach about shots that go in and out and how to put them in but it’s how we are doing this. Are we doing it the right way? We’re training leaders right now and they have some qualities that they have naturally, but holding them to a higher standard and really driving them to lead in the right way for our culture. It’s everyday work.”

One of the upcoming leaders for this team that Jones has relied on is junior guard Mandy Brink. Brink is coming off a season where she came off the bench, but in the final month averaged 12 points, 4.3 rebounds and two assists. 

“Mandy is just a dawg, d-a-w-g,” Jones said. “She is tough so she’ll be great for us from an accountable stand point and she can play. She finished last year really well and I think she has something to prove.”

Another player that Jones is relying on is senior point guard Stephanie Jean-Baptiste. Jean-Baptiste averaged 17.5 points a game last year along with 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. On her career, the senior averages 15 points, four rebounds, one assist and has 140 total steals. 

Jean-Baptiste putting up a jumper on Morrisville defenders during an offseason scrimmage. (Photo Credits: Liv Metz)

Jean-Baptiste has the accolades to go along with the numbers. The senior has won SUNYAC Rookie of the Year, was named to the SUNYAC All-Conference Second Team her sophomore year and in her junior year received Empire 8 Co-Defensive Player of the Year while being selected to Empire 8 All-Conference First Team. 

“Stephanie leads well with her play and now we’re going to ask her to use her voice a little bit more and I think that will be good for her real life experiences,” Jones said. “Her right now, her physical part of the game is way better. She’s never going to look strong, but she gets to the rim and teams are going to see and feel that.” 

The team acquired different types of players including incoming freshman guard Ava Howie, Addy VanDeWater, and Lila Lovgren. All these players fit that Golden Eagle culture and will have instant impacts on the game. 

 “We got some very talented freshmen for sure,” Brink said. “Our practices are very competitive and they jumped right in, they fit right in. Even our transfers, our walk-ons, they’re very competitive and we are just grateful about this team being as competitive as they are because  we’re going to see a lot of tough competition throughout the season.” 

Mandy Brink bringing the ball up during a offseason scrimmage. (Photo Credits: Liv Metz)

The team did lose a couple of key players due to graduation such as Kaleigh Hunt, Anna Lee, and Shannon Blankenship who were the team captains the year before. But, Hunt will join the team on the bench as an assistant coach. 

This isn’t the first time Jones has brought back a former player to coach. Just the year before, Jones added former center Zairea Hannah to the coaching staff. It’s a great way to maintain that culture and stay connected with the players, especially after losing longtime assistant coach Scott Foster who was honored to receive the head coaching job of Buffalo State’s women’s basketball team.

“I always go to the word ‘loyalty,’ I think that’s the biggest word for people who you’re working with,” Jones said. “I think it was a little hit for me from a comfortable stand point when Coach Foster moved on but I’ve been in this long enough, I know that’s what happens and I made sure that I had people around me that know me and know our program. They’ve been given responsibilities but it’s nice, they know me and the program. They know what to expect when we have a mentor and coaches kind of mentality.” 

Sophomore guard Peyton Maneri earned Empire 8 Rookie of the Year last season and looks to carry that momentum into 2025. Last year, Maneri averaged 8.5 points, 2.5 assists and two rebounds while leading the team in steals with 74. Maneri even posted a career high seven steals against Geneseo. 

Peyton Maneri earned Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honors last year after her stellar freshman season. (Photo Credits: Liv Metz)

Going into the 50th season the team really wants to repeat what they did last season and be able to go all the way and win a championship. It is also the 50th season of Brockport Women’s Basketball and with it being the 50th anniversary, Jones and the squad have a lot of pride in it. 

“Pride is the right word,” Jones said. “I have a ton of pride when alumni come back, I think they bleed a ton of green and gold pride as well. They watch, they follow us, there in it. It’s pretty cool from a program standpoint, I want this place and people to be like ‘woah, women’s basketball is a force to be reckoned with, they’re a great program,’ and I just want it to keep going. I feel that’s what’s great about the legacy of our program.” 

Brockport continues its journey to an Empire 8 championship and a tournament bid on Friday, Nov. 14th as out of conference play continues on the road at Mount Saint Mary College. 

After falling in the championship last year, it is only up for Team 50. 

89.1 the point will broadcast all home games starting Saturday November 21st against William Smith College. Make sure to tune into  live coverage of Brockport Women’s Basketball at 891thepoint and keep up with updates on Instagram 891thepoint.