Gonzalez Ready to Make a Difference Offensively for Miami

SwingRX Golf Performance is proud to bring you this week's Front Row Feature.
For more information, visit https://SwingRXGolf.com.

- - -

Enjulina Gonzalez's freshman year of college basketball was off to a solid, if not spectacular start.

The Mercer University guard averaged 6.2 points per game in her first 16 appearances of the 2022-23 campaign. She had made four starts, had set a career high of 12 points in a game on multiple occasions, and seemed to be making a successful transition to the collegiate level.

Then the Bears' game against Chattanooga rolled around.

Enjulina Gonzalez in 2022 Mercer-Georgia game — Gonzalez was a Preseason All-Conference pick last year at Mercer
after averaging double figures as a freshman (photo via Mercer Athletics)

On January 14, 2023, Gonzalez came off the bench to pour in a career-high 34 points on 15-21 shooting, providing nearly half of the 70 points her team put on the scoreboard.

Since then, the dynamic scorer has taken her game to an entirely different level.

Gonzalez averaged 15.5 points down the stretch, starting each of Mercer's final 11 games of the season, en route to claiming SoCon All-Freshman honors. However, after injuries limited the preseason All-Conference pick to three appearances in 2023-24, she put her name in the transfer portal to try and find a new opportunity.

It didn't take long for Miami associate head coach Ben Wierzba to notice.

Wierzba was part of the Mercer coaching staff during Gonzalez's freshman season, and knew from first-hand experience the type of game-changing offensive skill the 5-9 guard possessed.

"You can see the natural ability she has," Wierzba said. "When she got to Mercer, I worked with the guards, so every day, we were working out and doing stuff together. You could see the talent in her…

"She's just a natural athlete, so being able to work with that and watching what she can do is fun."

When Wierzba saw Gonzalez's name in the portal, he and head coach Glenn Box picked up the phone immediately.

"I was looking for a place that felt like home and someone that was going to push me to be the best player on and off the court," Gonzalez said. "Coach Ben coached me my freshman year. He was like a dad to me…And then he was literally the first call I received when I got in the portal…

"Being here on the visit, it was like I was meant to be here."

Enjulina Gonzalez — *Gonzalez (left) and Cori Lard share a laugh at practice*

According to Gonzalez, the RedHawks' family environment was one of the big selling points that helped convince the Miami, Fla. native to take her talents to Miami University. "It's very much 'family first' here, and we treat each other like sisters on and off the court. That's a big thing that I was looking forward to, coming into a new program," Gonzalez said.

"I think we dove deep into the relationship aspect," Box said. "Relationships truly matter to her, and she's an extremely loyal person; that stands out to me every day when I'm coaching her."

While all of Gonzalez's Miami teammates might already seem like sisters to her, one of the RedHawks actually IS her sibling: younger sister Ziul Gonzalez, a 5-7 freshman. The Gonzalez duo helped Miami Christian High School capture a pair of state titles in 2021 and 2022, and Enjulina is ecstatic to team up with Ziul again over the coming years.

"I already knew I wanted to play with her, so just having the opportunity to be able to make that happen [was perfect]," Enjulina Gonzalez said.

"Not many people are able to play with their siblings, and I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

The Gonzalez sisters are part of a group of seven additions to Box's roster for the 2024-25 campaign, and the second-year head coach is looking forward to seeing his team's increased offensive firepower this winter, beginning with the season opener Nov. 4 vs. Appalachian State.

"We want to play a lot faster. We want to play a lot more up-tempo. We want to be more dynamic this year, and [Enjulina] helps with that," Box explained.

"She brings an entirely different element in regards to speed. North and south, she'll be one of the fastest kids in our conference…

"I can't over-state how talented she is."

Gonzalez is clearly excited for the quick, up-and-down style the RedHawks plan to implement.

"We're going to be small, but we're going to be tough," Gonzalez said. "We're going to play hard, we're going to be gritty, we're going to have heart, we're going to be fast, and we're going to win."

Enjulina Gonzalez

While the elder Gonzalez's pace already allows her to get to the rim seemingly at will, the Miami coaches are also encouraged by her potential for further improvement over the next few years in Oxford.

Gonzalez didn't even get involved in organized basketball until she reached high school, so she might just be scratching the surface of her abilities, which is certainly a scary thought for the rest of the Mid-American Conference.

"I started playing basketball the summer of ninth grade. That's the first time I joined a travel team," Gonzalez said. "My coach, Coach 'Fui', helped me start the sport. My parents didn't have enough money for me to play, but he was like, 'No, you're playing!'

"I said, 'I don't know if my parents are going to allow it, because we don't have the funds. And he said, 'No, I'm telling you. You're playing. I'm giving you your jersey and backpack today.'"

Gonzalez, a Communications major at Miami, hopes to become the CEO of her own business someday so she can return the favor for the next generation of up-and-coming hoopers. "I want to help kids that didn't have the opportunity to play, like me, and be the coach that I had when I was younger," she said.

"It's something that impacted me and changed my whole life. I never would have thought I'd be here, and here I am!"

On the court, Wierzba said he can already see the growth in the sophomore speedster's game from when he last coached her in 2023. Gonzalez racked up 285 points in her debut season despite only shooting 1-for-7 from the three-point line that year, but converted a healthy 50% from behind the arc (4-of-8) in limited action last fall for Mercer.

"When she came here, watching her shoot the three, I told her, 'Okay, you've developed over the past year,'" Wierzba said. "As a freshman, she was more confident of getting to the rim and pulling up…now when she's shooting a three, it's like, 'You've got that to go along with what you already had? Now you've got a complete game.'"

Gonzalez said her confidence on the floor is the biggest difference as she gets ready to embark on the next chapter in her basketball career with the Red and White. "Now that I'm extending to the three-point line a lot, you can't back up OR step up [when you're guarding me]. You're going to have to pick one," she smiled.

"During my freshman year, there were still times when I struggled mentally – lacking confidence and not being able to express the player that I am.

"Being here now, I feel like Coach Box and all of the coaches are going to push me, and they're going to elevate me to the player that I know I can be," Gonzalez continued.

"I'm ready to get back on the court. I've been off for too long, and I'm excited.

"There's still so much more that I have to show."

Find more Front Row Features at: MiamiRedHawks.com/FrontRowFeatures

Enjulina Gonzalez and the RedHawks open the 2024-25 season on Monday, Nov. 4 at Millett Hall vs. Appalachian State. Click here to make your season ticket deposit now!

Gonzalez Ready to Make a Difference Offensively for Miami

Players Mentioned

Enjulina Gonzalez

Ziul Gonzalez

Related Videos