The girls basketball team is building on last season, and improvement is the gauge for success.
“Our main goals are to have a better record than we did last year and to make it to a higher spot in the playoffs than the previous year,” Stacey Evans, senior, said.
The progress that the squad is aiming for will have to be a product of preparation, and the approach that they are taking is built around working with the skills they have.
According to Lily Bruno, senior, the team is “focusing on each [player’s] personal strengths and doing a better job at using them to come together as a team in a game setting.”
Armond Frazier, head coach, is particularly proud of the intensity and scrappiness when facing teams with a better record.
“Our non-conference schedule has been really tough, but I’ve been impressed with the fight from my girls against those teams. As long as we keep that same energy to finish the season, I will consider it a success,” Frazier said.
That same sentiment is echoed by the players.
“This season a lot of us grew individually by recognizing our strengths on the court, but in order to finish the season strong we have to stay focused and continue to work together,” Jasmine Bonsu, senior, said.
At this point in the year, with a record of 11-14, they have played about 25 games, so the girls are already fully acquainted with each other and what they are capable of on the floor.
“We are deep into the season, so we have a good team chemistry and know each person’s strengths and weaknesses,” Evans said.
With that information in mind, having chemistry with teammates can only aid the team’s success, since, according to Evans, having a deeper understanding of her teammates’ abilities helps influence the way they play with each other.
“Most of the starting five have been playing together for at least two years on varsity, so I think that really benefits the team in general. By knowing each person’s strengths, then it’s easier for us to call plays or make decisions based on those strengths,” Evans said.
Liking each other on the court is valuable, but, with the addition of several younger players to the varsity team, becoming a single-minded unit can be difficult without off-court closeness. However, that is not an issue with this group.
“We are a very strong team chemistry-wise because we’ve mostly been playing together since freshman year, some of us even before then, and we’ve been a very close-knit group since. The younger girls that have joined us we are also close with. I’d say no matter what happens on the court we are all good friends,” Bruno said.
Since there are several seniors on the team, their final season will have a special significance.
“My personal expectations are really just to have a great last year with the people I love and make every second count, win or lose,” Bruno said.