Dribbling Through the Season: Marymount Basketball

This winter season, the Marymount basketball team is working hard in preparation for a strong season. Freshmen Bianka Gravillis and Olivia Thomas from the Junior Varsity team and Mr. Baker, coach of the Varsity team, commented on the progress and devotion that they have seen in the team this year.

The girls will be prepared for their first game thanks to their current conditioning, which involves “lots of running,” says Bianka Gravillis. Gravillis also shared that “the hardest part in basketball for me is remembering all the plays.” Basketball can be a very complex sport and involves not only physical aggressiveness, but also strategic plans and a tough mentality. Still, the JV team’s future is looking bright because “as a team, [they] are very communicative and encouraging!” mentioned Gravillis.

The persevering theme of the basketball players is that all of them really enjoyed the sport. Olivia Thomas exclaimed, “My favorite part about basketball is the girls on my team. The people are like my family because we have become really close. I also love the positive environment we are surrounded by, and I really enjoy all of the encouragement my team provides me. This season has built me a new group of friends who I hope to remain close with for all four years of my high school.” As Gravillis and Thomas have revealed, basketball is not just a sport or a way to get active, but also a great opportunity to make friends and learn new strategies on the court.

The Varsity coach, Coach Baker, said about his early start as a basketball player, “I was five years old and I have always had a passion for the game.” He also stated that he found himself analyzing the game and coming up with complex strategies to “defeat the opponent.” Coach Baker has wanted to be a basketball coach for a long time, and he revealed one of the aspects he loves about coaching: teaching the importance of teamwork as an essential life skill. He commented on the team’s overall progression and claimed that every player was “talented at every position this year,” and that their greatest strength was “how well the girls play together”. In his second year coaching at MHS, after many years of past experience, Mr. Baker reveals that the key to basketball is to “focus on skill development and fundamentals. The sport has to be taught if it is going to be mastered. Furthermore, a player has to be coachable and willing and wanting to learn.”

Both the coach and the players of the Marymount basketball team look forward to a strong season ahead of them.  Support the basketball team in the winter season!IMG_9010 IMG_8245 IMG_8109