This year, The Gregory School’s girls basketball team is off to a successful start. The team is mostly underclassmen and only has eight players, a major difference from last year. Coach Dickinson and the assistant coach, Lexie Berger, lead the team which is comprised of Eunice Ineza, Marina Sandoval, Molly Crown, Gaia Vasini, Kathryn Jie, Emma Schneider, Anna Martinez, and Lucy Wangechi. Maiya Douglas is the team manager, whose job consists of scheduling and keeping track of all stats. Although the team is small, they have the opportunity to grow over the season and become a close-knit group.
The coaches and players have many goals for this year, but the main goal is to make sure all the new players learn the game and have a good time playing. One of the co-captains, Marina Sandoval, says that because the team is smaller, they are able to have a tighter bond and create a family on the court. Because of this, “every team member will get more playing time and must prepare by conditioning since they will be playing for most of the game.” Coach Dickinson is hoping to make it to the state tournament, stating “We have the talent and ability to make the tournament this year if the girls commit to working hard every day and focusing on improvement.”
One major challenge that the team will face this year is that there are inexperienced players who make up most of the team. This means they are still learning the ways of the game. However, they are already overcoming these challenges and powering through. Coach Dickinson says, “I have been extremely impressed with this group’s ability to learn quickly and support each other through the growing pains.”
Girls basketball season runs through February, during which time the team will play matches against various teams such as Phoenix Country Day, Patagonia, Valley Union, Benson, Ft. Thomas, and Lourdes. Coach Dickinson says that “Valley Union has a very strong girls team this year. They played very physical last year and blew us out at their gym. I know the girls are looking forward to a rematch in El Mirador this season.”
Come support the girls basketball team
Written by both Ella Sturtevant and Emilia Emami