Wham! That’s the sound of Sophia Corredor scoring a three pointer on the basketball court. During the winter sports season, girls varsity basketball assembles on the court coached by Darryl Johnson along with David Flannery who acts as their volunteer coach. Junior girls varsity basketball is coached by Mr. Arato.

The girls began preparing before the winter season by attending open floor gym sessions that helped them get back into shape. Coaches Arato and Johnson used that time to decide which girls would work great for junior varsity and varsity.

The girls started their season with expectations of improving individually and as a team. Due to having fewer players this season, Mr. Johnson says that they had to make some roster changes for the betterment of the program. Despite participation numbers being lower than they expected, Mr. Johnson was able to maintain a high level of athleticism with his four core returning players Mia Camey, Sophia Corredor, Asha Pensa-Johnson, and Nicole Lupercio. 

Johnson had some words about his team, especially when it comes to motivating the girls or common struggles seen when practicing. Johnson motivates his team by telling them “to ultimately have fun and to keep on going.” He also uses his core values of encouragement and ambition to make sure to communicate that they should work hard and hustle.  Johnson’s words of wisdom when his team is struggling is to go back to the basics of basketball during practice like a play-by-play and work from that to further progress. 

“The four core,” is something you might catch Johnson saying when the girls are practicing. Mia Camey, Nicole Lupercio, Asha Pensa-Johnson, and Sophia Corredor are known as the four core on the girls varsity basketball team. While there is no official captain, all four of them are considered team leaders as they work together to improve the team. According to Mia Camey, “We usually nominate who is team captain, but the seniors are the ones who basically lead the team.” 

Sadly for seniors Mia, Sophia, and Nicole this is their last year on the basketball team. Nicole’s favorite thing about basketball is the fact that you get to meet new friends. Mia can relate with that. They will miss talking to their teammates along with their coaches who look out for them. Seeing how they manage on the court, the girls varsity basketball team will continue to put in their best effort and lookout for one another even after the season ends.

Currently, the girls varsity team has three wins and twelve losses with five games remaining. The goal for the coaching staff is to offer opportunities for every player to play, develop, and create lasting memories.