In the wake of our recent 103-13 loss to Cal State Northridge (11/4/2025), there has been a fair amount of buzz surrounding our womens basketball program. As the Director of Athletics at Bethesda University, I feel it's important to provide context and, more importantly, to publicly express how deeply proud I am of our womens basketball team, our coaching staff, and most especially our remarkable student-athletes.
In sports, it's easy to forget that every athlete is also a person and that every team carries a story beyond what the scoreboard shows. Casual observers rarely see the challenges that happen behind the scenes. Over the past three weeks, our womens basketball team has battled through injuries and illness. Despite those obstacles, they continued to suit up and represent our university with courage and pride.
When we compete against NCAA Division I schools, they pay smaller programs like ours, these are what we call guarantee games. For institutions of our size, these games are vital not only for the experience of playing high-level competition but also for fundraising for the team. If a school fails to appear, it can face penalties of up to $50,000.
We would never force any of our student-athletes to play when they are hurt or unwell. I personally told our head coach and one player, who was really under the weather, that we would never require her to play and that we appreciated her simply supporting the team. But when our players learned that the university could face significant penalties, they made the decision themselves to take the floor and represent Bethesda with honor.
That is the kind of heart you cannot teach.
Against the University of San Diego, our team gave everything they had even finishing the game four against five when one of our players could no longer continue. Despite the circumstances, our players earned the admiration and respect of both the opposing team and the home crowd. Our coach did an excellent job keeping our girls together. That was game one of a back-to-back against two Division I opponents.
The following night, we faced Cal State Northridge under even more difficult conditions. Still recovering from injuries and a stomach virus that even sidelined one of our coaches, our women took the court once again not for recognition, but out of a deep sense of responsibility toward our school and one another. The same floor where our mens basketball team once earned historic victories over their Division I counterparts became a stage for something far more meaningful: courage.
We didn't expect an upset that night. What we expected and what we witnessed was heart, loyalty, and resilience.
Every coach knows that the public rarely sees what happens in practice or what circumstances affect a team's performance. This isn't an excuse or a complaint. It's simply a proud statement from an athletic director, a father, and a human being honoring a group of young women who chose integrity and perseverance over comfort.
Their courage did not go unnoticed. As I was writing this, I received multiple phone calls from a basketball fan in Kansas, five calls, to be exact. He was so determined to speak with someone from our athletic department. When we finally connected, he told me how deeply moved he was by our womens basketball team. He had watched them play on ESPN, saw what they were up against, and said their courage and resilience spoke volumes to him. He mentioned understanding the difficulty of playing back-to-back games and giving 40 minutes of effort no matter the score. What touched him most was that our players never quit, they kept fighting, possession after possession. He was so inspired by their heart and will to keep going that he felt compelled to reach out personally to let our young women know their effort mattered.
Moments like that remind us that sports is about much more than winning and losing. It's about inspiring others through character, effort, and grace under pressure.
Our womens basketball players have set an example that transcends the scoreboard. They embody what it means to be a Bethesda student-athlete: faith-driven, selfless, and unbreakable in spirit.
To our womens basketball team, you have our utmost respect, admiration, and pride. Thank you for representing Bethesda University with courage and grace.
And to any current or aspiring student-athletes who are looking for an opportunity to compete, grow, and be part of something truly meaningful, we invite you to join our womens basketball team for the second half of the season. Be part of a great story. Be part of a program that values heart, resilience, and purpose above all else.
Leo Balayon
Director of Athletics
Bethesda University