Women’s Basketball is Getting Bigger

This year the women’s varsity team had one of the most successful seasons in their history. The women’s varsity record was 5-5. Even with a shutdown of their sport in January, they still had a successful season.

Adam Epstein is the head coach of the women’s varsity basketball team. He is one of the best Jemicy has ever had. He told me, “even with the whole shutdown of sports in January, the girls came out and were ready to work.” He spoke about his hopes for next year, saying, “ I want girls to come out and be ready to work and be ready to go.”  Next year, the women’s basketball team will have two teams again, a Varsity and a Junior Varsity team. I was part of the first-ever JV basketball team at Jemicy for the women’s team. 

Brooke Lockwood, a junior this year, has been on this team since 9th grade, said,“ I feel like I have been improving a lot, mainly towards the end of the season, and I hope that carries on to next year.” Brooke is that player who has a ton of energy on and off the court.

Olivia Green has played basketball for three years. Olivia loves basketball, she started in middle school, and she couldn’t stop. Basketball just clicked with her, so she played basketball for Jemicy. It is a gift to be a captain, and Olivia was one of the two captains this year. If basketball wasn’t canceled because of COVID, she would have had another year on the team. She loved being captain this year because it was her final year of high school. “ Being captain is fun; I enjoy being there for the team, enjoy helping girls [learn] how to play, and being together; it is fun,” Olivia told me a story about their last game; the game was neck and neck, and Zoe had to make a free throw. When she found out, she just melted to the ground, saying,” I can’t do this.” But in the end, Zoe made the free throw and everyone was screaming on the sidelines.

Elizabeth Strouse has played basketball for three years. Similar to Olivia, Elizabeth lost a year playing basketball because of COVID. She was the other captain with Olivia this year. “It is really fun, it is also definitely interesting to see the new girls come in and know like I was that new girl, and I remember the captains before; it is a position where you become a team leader.” Lizzie stuck with basketball because she loved the sport. She mostly stuck with it because of the friends that she made. “There wasn’t a single day that I wanted to quit basketball.” Lizzie played three years on the Lower School Jemicy team.  A memory that will stick with her forever is, “when we played five on five, I missed two shots, but I made a three everyone was clapping, and I was silent…I remember that a few teachers were Mr.Diana, Mr.Bierer, and Mr.Epstein; they were saying that I was so humble like I am not even reacting.”

In conclusion, the women’s basketball team has overcome challenges that have made them a better team. The women’s basketball team has improved so much from the beginning of the season to the end. This season has set the tone for seasons to come.