“I feel like we’re figuring out who we are as a team and understanding more about what we need to do individually to help us succeed as a whole,” said the Bisons’ leading scorer, Destiny Howell, who is averaging 16 points per game. “Going into conference, we’re pretty confident. Winning games and keeping our energy level high can keep our momentum going.”
Howell, a shooting guard from Queens, is in her junior year. Her long-term goals are to play pro basketball and become a coach. “Every year, I feel like I’ve elevated some aspect of my game,” she said. “This year, particularly, I feel as though I’m focusing harder on the mental part of the game … I’ve been consistently telling my mind that I can do the things that I’m doing. I believe it’s allowed me to take my game to a different level.
Her role as a leader has increased this year, and she’s being more vocal. She’s willing to pull teammates to the side during practices to help them refocus, motivate them or let them know what she expects from them to help the team win. “Every day, I want my teammates to see how passionate I am about the game and my desire to win,” said Howell. “I see how much influence my energy has on the team. When I’m diving for loose balls, being active on defense, cheering for my teammates on a good play, I see how it affects the mood of the game or practice.”
In 2022, Howard women’s basketball earned a berth in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament, playing in the first-ever round of 68 and achieving the Bisons’ first tournament victory. Howell said she watched March Madness as a kid and told herself she wanted to be part of that. “From being that little girl watching college teams on TV to being one of those college teams on TV with little girls watching me, it kind of came full circle and it was a really heartwarming feeling,” she said.