The Nova Southeastern University women’s basketball team will make its 2017-18 debut Nov. 10 against Delta State in Jackson, Tenn. The Sharks home opener will be Nov. 18 against Tampa.
This year’s squad includes Skyla Osceola, a 5-foot-8 guard from the Hollywood Reservation. Osceola, a former standout at American Heritage-Plantation, is one of five freshmen on coach LeAnn Freeland-Curry’s squad which was picked by coaches to finish second in the Sunshine State Conference.

“With five teams receiving two or more first place votes, it is clear the SSC coaches are expecting a lot of parity in the league again this season. Our players have been working extremely hard to get ready and I’m excited to see how our team evolves throughout the year,” Freeland-Curry said on the team’s web site.

The SSC includes No. 1 Rollins, Nova, Barry, Eckerd, Embry-Riddle, Florida Southern, Florida Tech, Lynn, Palm Beach Atlantic, Saint Leo and Tampa.

The Sharks are coming off a 17-12 season, including a 12-6 conference mark. They reached the NCAA Division II tournament for the fifth consecutive year and lost in the South Region quarterfinals. The team returns six players, including last year’s conference Freshman of the Year Maria Bardeeva and 2016 SSC Player of the Year Kayla Wright.

The Sharks play home games at Rick Case Arena on the Nova campus in Davie.