The bright gym lights and the sound of the ball bouncing and then finally swishing through the hoop invite the crowd to tune in closely to the action. Girls basketball is a demanding sport and requires discipline from all players; however, it’s an immensely rewarding experience and entertaining for those supporting the team in the stands.
“Basketball has always been a game I love because it teaches so much about life. It rewards discipline, teamwork, and effort,” said Bradley Reibel, head coach. “I started coaching because I wanted to help players grow, not just as athletes, but as people. The game is a great place for learning confidence, resilience, and how to work for something bigger than yourself.”
Inspiration to join basketball comes from many places, from friends, to family, and even television. “What inspired me to play basketball was seeing different athletes playing the sport of basketball, and I wanted to experience playing it, so now basketball is the sport I love,” said Kaleah Ward, freshman.
However, it’s each student’s own drive to better themselves that creates the wins the team gains. Each student impacts the team in different ways through their hard work and personality and each student gets impacted by the sport in different ways.
For Freshman Ágata Madej, “It [basketball] gives me more passion, it shows me that to be good at something you have to put much effort into everything you do, not just one thing.”
Many emotions are felt right before a game, but each person prepares differently so that they themselves can do their best to benefit the team.
“Before a game I usually listen to music or block out nerves by reading or studying for school,” said Mia Przybylski, freshman.
Overall, the 25-26 girls basketball season was a huge success for the Hawks.
“This season our team won their first playoff game, a play in game that gave us the opportunity to play prospects. We had never done that before,” said William Helzer, coach.
