Sophomore athlete Katie Mullins' personal goal for the season is to try her hardest at the skills while also being the best teammate she can. photo by Lesly Orbe-Rosario
The TJ Girls’ Basketball teams remain diligent as their season continues.
The winter sports season came quickly and is already approaching the end, and the girls’ basketball team has been working hard to improve and finish the season strong. With a smaller cohort of girls trying out this year to begin with, the team has definitely learned to work well with one another to enhance their skill. The team’s first game this season occurred on December 5th, and their last game is scheduled for February 14th, which is Valentine’s Day and their Senior Night. With this in mind, the girls are hoping to stay dedicated and continue pushing until the end of winter sports.
The girls’ basketball team is run by head coach Damion Allen, along with varsity assistant coach Caitlin Zeiler, Junior Varsity head coach Adriana Yoder, and C Team coach Armani Robbins. This season is different from most; there is only a JV and Varsity team, so Armani is not coaching her own team this year. However, her support and assistance to all of the teams has been an asset, and she is a valuable member of the program. Varsity swing player Katie Mullins appreciates the coaching techniques from each of these coaches. “The coaches are really good about giving us new tips and ways to learn the sport better.” At the start of practices, all of the teams begin by participating in running and dribbling drills before splitting up and going over their plays. This part of the practice is exciting because the separate levels can bond and support each other. Practices are every day and last two hours, which helps all of the players get more comfortable playing with one another and adapting to individual playing techniques/styles.
Aside from practice, game days are extremely memorable, according to Mullins. “My favorite part of the season is game days because it is so much fun getting ready with the team and cheering them on.” The culture of game day is very exhilarating as the team coordinates their school outfits prior to every game, and then they all stay and watch each team play, whether the game is at home or away. TJ’s first unforgettable game this season was against Littleton, a home game that was very successful for the female athletes. The score was 43-40; this was a close game and a great representation of how the basketball team worked together to finish strong. Fast forward to today, the team has demonstrated their vast improvement on the court. Leila Olbricht-Simon, senior varsity player, has noted this change. “There was a major improvement that I noticed simply because we bonded with the team overtime. That enabled us to work better together on the court due to the bond we had formed outside of the sport.” Coming up is the Senior Night against Denver North on February 14th. The team is excited to cheer on all of the seniors as they quickly transition into some of their last games in their high school experience.
Some of the seniors have played a significant role on the team throughout the season. Captain and senior Olbricht-Simon takes a leading position in the categories of blocks per game (averaging 1.4 blocks), assists per game (averaging 1.3), and also rebounds per game (averaging 8.2 rebounds). Another outstanding senior captain, Amaya Sonoda, leads in three pointer percentage, having 26%. These stats are outstanding among our seniors, and they have really formed as a direct result of the hard work and dedication from the girls’ season. Regardless of the stats and record of the team, it’s evident that the girls are having a phenomenal season. Mullins emphasized that the number of wins is not the best representation of the team because there has been large improvement following the start of the season, and there are also several players that have great athletic potential.
The TJ girls’ basketball program includes their Mission Statement on their website. The team strives to focus on encouraging one another and the enjoyment of the game itself. The coaches hope to leave a positive impact on all players, while also helping the athletes improve within the sport they love.
