Just as quick as the season began for the Cuesta College women's basketball team, it's already come to an unfortunate end.
Cuesta posted the announcement on its sports' Facebook page last Friday night. The decision was made due to the number of injuries, illnesses, and issues to seven of the 11 players, five of which suffered season-ending injuries.
The Cougars played just three games this season, going 1-2 at the San Diego City College Tournament in middle of November.
Head women's basketball coach Ron Barba, who's been with Cuesta for nine seasons, said it's the craziest season he's seen in his 40 years of coaching but added some good news.
"All the student-athletes will get their eligibility back for next season," Barba said.
In a statement to KSBY, Cuesta athletic director Bob Mariucci said, "I am sorry to announce that Cuesta College will be suspending our women’s basketball team for the remainder of the season. This has been a difficult decision, but without going into too much detail, we have faced an insurmountable number of injuries and other unfortunate circumstances. We feel that with the remaining players, and the uncertainty around who may be available at the start of spring, that it would be highly unlikely we would be able to field a team."
Mariucci continued, "We recognize the inconvenience that this creates for our conference colleges due to missed contests, and we hope that by making our decision now, you have the opportunity to replace those games in your schedules."
Mariucci added he fully expects the women's basketball to return to action next season.
