It’s time to start hitting those 3’s and blocking those shots! It is finally basketball season! The Girls’ Varsity Basketball team is starting off their season with confidence. After getting a new coach this year, they are ready to show everybody what they got, especially after last year’s impressive season.

What’s really unique about this season is the new coach who has been coaching basketball for 21 years now. After talking with him and asking what made him come to Ipswich he said, “Mandy (previous coach) asked and grabbed my ear about it, opened up the door and asked if I was interested and I was.” He has big hopes for this season and is ready to kick things off. He explained, “I am hoping to accomplish many things such as making the state tournament; my goal is to win CAL champs and overall improve each player. The team’s goal is to win the conference and individually make everybody step up and get better as a player.” Two senior captains on the team are Jenna Gagnon and Kendall Trepanier. Jenna and Kendall both said, “We like getting a new coach; it changes things up, and it’s a fresh start. It’s sad at the same time to, but we have had a lot of drama in the past.” They like to look at this as a good change for ending the senior year on a good note.

Being captain means a lot to them because they take on the challenge of leading their team to victory. They know though that they have to maintain a supportive, positive attitude towards each teammate in order to create good team chemistry. Chemistry is one of the single most important pieces of basketball, because each and every player on the team must play as one. Jenna said, “It is good to do team building exercises during preseason where everyone on the team can get involved. We usually have team dinners, sleepovers, etc.” The time spent on and off the court is very important because it allows anyone who is unfamiliar with the new team to get comfortable with one another, which leads to greater success on the court. “The more we’re together, the more wins we’ll have this season,” says Kendall.

At the end of the day, basketball is a team sport that can’t be dominated by just one player. Every position is important. Whether you are a point guard taking the ball up the court, or a center boxing out trying to get rebounds, everything needs to be done with hard work and hustle. As the season progresses, Jenna and Kendall are excited for their final year of varsity basketball. They are looked up to by their team, and they are ready to play their hearts out for their teammates, family, and Ipswich High School as a whole. There is nothing but high hopes for the girls basketball team this year.