Fueled by a determination to eclipse the expectations set for them, the Girls Varsity Basketball Team looks to come back strong. Over the past two years, the program has accrued new talent, practiced relentlessly, and began to find its groove. Head Coach Michael Hickey, heading into his second season, hopes to significantly improve on the team’s 2019 campaign.

One of the challenges the team has faced is developing chemistry and becoming accustomed to playing with each other. Fortunately, the players had access to open gyms this fall, which allowed Coach Hickey to lay the groundwork for the upcoming season, and gave players the ample opportunity to prepare for the season. In addition, team captain Jordyn Harrison ’22 believes that the team dinners throughout the fall have helped new and returning players develop a bond. More than anything, however, Harrison credits the team’s shared passion for basketball. “The fact that all these girls have a good, strong basketball background has worked out because we can just gel off of each other.”

Harrison’s and Coach Hickey’s efforts towards creating a unified team have so far proved successful. In their season opener on December 3rd, the team came away with a convincing 65-17 win over Canterbury. The team hopes to build off of this success and aims to qualify for the playoffs and win a New England Championship for the first time since 2013. Through smooth ball movement, a constant press on the opponent, Coach Hickey trusts that this year’s team can exceed any expectations set by past seasons. He added, “Maybe a modest goal would be to be above .500. We don’t want to just be above .500. I think we have the talent to go deep [in the playoffs], but just like anything else, we have to show it.”

Harrison’s goals reach further than this season, however; she hopes to create a strong foundation and implement a clear expectation for the program that will survive even after she graduates. One of Harrison’s goals is to raise the confidence of young players. She said, “getting them more time on the court and getting the ball in their hands more will allow them to get a feel for the people around them. They can perform better when it comes game time.” In fact, The team’s young players got off to a flying start in their debuts, as Kaila Richards ’25 and Morgan Jenkins ’25 led the scoring in the win over Canterbury, 16 and 11 points respectively.

With the great start behind them, the team hopes to build on this initial success and play deep into the New England playoffs.