For sophomore Abby Gilbert, the feeling of family in Yakima Valley College’s women’s basketball program is what sets it apart. And this season the wing player from Blackfoot, Idaho took on a special place in that family as the team’s only returning sophomore.
It’s a role Gilbert embraced coming off an appearance in the 2024 Northwest Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championships while the team also went through a coaching transition.
“I love the competitiveness of the sport and getting to meet everybody,” Gilbert said. “Basketball's taken me everywhere. I've gone to a lot of different places I don't think I would have gone without basketball, especially here. I never would have thought I'd find myself in Yakima.”
But a friendship with fellow Eastern Idaho basketball standout Hope Driscoll, who joined the Yaks squad in fall 2022, provided an initial connection.
“Hope’s dad was my coach in high school for a year and he told me that he thought I would love it here [at YVC],” Gilbert said. “Then I got to come and meet everybody, and I just loved to hear the community is great. It’s like you’re a family.”
TOP: Abby Gilbert takes a shot during Yakima Valley College's first-round game in
the 2024 Northwest Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament. ABOVE: Gilbert
drives to the hoop during a Feb. 5, 2025 victory over Blue Mountain.
While Gilbert served as a captain and helped lead Blackfoot to the 3A state championship in Idaho her senior year, the step up in competition at the college level required working on every aspect of her game.
“Everything from my sleep schedule to my conditioning, you have to do all the little things,” she said. “You can’t let those things slip by, like you could maybe get away with in high school.”
Gilbert was a key contributor during her freshman season, averaging 9.3 points and tallying 23 steals in conference play, as the Yaks finished the season 14-13 and returned to the NWAC Championships for the first time since 2020.
But sustaining success can be even more difficult and this past offseason brought with it numerous changes for the team. Head Coach Robin Andrea resigned to relocate and be closer to family over the summer. Taking over the program was Lanette Hooper, who won NWAC titles for YVC as both a standout point guard and during a three-year stint as the program’s head coach in the 1990s. Moreover, between players graduating or transferring to four-year schools, Gilbert was the team’s sole returning player.
That much turnover brings challenges for any program, but Gilbert said the team responded to the challenge.
“I feel like it’s always going to take some time just trusting one another and buying into our coach’s ideas when you have an entirely new team,” Gilbert said. “And then we've dealt with a lot of injuries this year, but we’ve really come together as a team. We’ve made sure that we're all good with where we're at, all playing in different positions than we would normally be. We all have a good, positive attitude about it.”
Gilbert on defense during a Feb. 12, 2025 home game versus Treasure Valley.
Early in the season, Gilbert enjoyed a reunion of sorts with Andrea, who recruited her to the Yaks. YVC faced off against Portland Community College, where Andrea now serves as head coach, with the Yaks only having five players available. Despite being so short-handed, YVC claimed a 78-69 victory.
“We had to play our first two games with only five players but it was great to see our old coach and get that victory,” she said. “Everybody was so exhausted playing the entire game!”
Off the court, Gilbert is working toward her associate degree with a goal of pursuing a career in physical therapy, possibly focusing on pediatric physical therapy.
“I would love to get the opportunity to work somewhere so that I can stay around my sport and be able to work with athletes,” Gilbert said.
One of her favorite classes to date at YVC not only aligns with her future professional goals, it’s benefitted her performance on the court.
“I’ve learned so much in my nutrition class about how what you put into your body and impact you in a positive or negative way,” Gilbert said. “I’ve felt that for myself and it’s helped me with basketball, so it is really practical knowledge.”
Story by Dustin Wunderlich, director of community relations. Photos by Dan Acosta; Juan Padilla, public relations student assistant, and Wunderlich.