The rebuild for the Chaminade University women's basketball team continued throughout the 2023-24 season. The Silverswords' four wins was the most since the 2019-20 campaign.
While to the untrained eye, four victories is not a lot, a closer examination reveals the program is getting closer in the path of respectability.
The 'Swords' margin of defeat this past season was 13.0 point per game, the third fewest in the history of the program and least since 2015-16 when the margin was 10.5. And against some of the elite squads in the Pacific West Conference, the team was within reasonable striking distance in the second half.
The 'Swords' signature victory came on Jan. 18 when they ended nearly 17 years of frustration with a 77-66 win over crosstown rival Hawai'i Pacific University. The victory snapped a 40-game losing streak to the Sea Warriors/Sharks dating back to January 2007.
Sameera Elmasri (Shawnee, Kan./Birmingham-Southern Univ./Saint Thomas Aquinas HS) finished the season as Chaminade's top scorer and rebounder at 11.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. The transfer from Division III Birmingham-Southern had six double-doubles, the most since Destiny Castro's eight in 2017-18, half of those in the final three games of the season.
Other newcomers who provided a boost were
Ashley Holen (Watford City, N.D./Minot State University/Watford City HS) and
Morgan Escobedo (Scottsdale, Ariz./Pinnacle), both of whom finished in the team's top four in the scoring ledger. Holen, a transfer from Division II Minot State, was a 3-point shooting threat with 17 triples on the year while Escobedo did a little bit of everything on the floor. The freshman not only scored at a 7.2 per game clip but she also hauled in 5.8 rebounds per game while her 83 assists were the third highest in a single season. Escobedo also had 57 steals, the most in a year from a 'Sword who did not have the last name of Castro.
Dallas Martinez (Kaneohe, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Whittier College/Sacred Hearts Academy) ended her three-year CUH career as the program's No. 6 all-time scorer with 631 points while tying Castro as the program's career field goal percentage leader at 41.6 percent.
Also wrapping up her career was
Emma Morris (Tucson, Ariz./Tanque Verde), whose four-year career saw her finish No. 5 in the career list in blocked shots with 38.
Fellow senior
Sasha Phillip (Hau'ula, O'ahu, Hawai'i/Hawai'i Baptist) also finished her four years in a royal blue and white uniform with 70 games played, and career averages of 4.1 points and 2.7 boards.
