Eliza W., Freshman
You have probably seen them practicing in 401, these hard working and diligent girls dribbling down the court. But have you ever wondered what it is like to be on the team? These girls are poised on the court, but we know little about what goes into their games and what life is like for them off the court.
The try out process for the team is simple, they give the girls a set of drills and whomever performs well is likely to make the team. To be on the team you must be able to consistently score lay-ups, dribble well, be able to follow advanced plays, and have good school spirit.
With ten players participating, Northwest works hard to keep the team in shape. Being on the team is a big commitment, and it is hard to balance school, work, and athletics. I interviewed Brooklyn J., a freshman on the team, to get her take on what she thinks of the sport. When being asked about the team, she stated, “I like the team.The coaches are very nice and flexible with the schedule. And if you can’t make it to a practice they understand and everyone on the team is very supportive and nice.” I also asked Brooklyn what school she thinks is Northwest’s biggest rival. She said, “SAAS is one of our biggest competitors because they are Northwest’s traditional rival, and they have won all of their games and are highly competitive.” She also said Overlake is a good a match for the team and that they are also equally competitive. When I asked Brooklyn what makes a good team player, she paused for a minute to think, then continued to say a good team player is, “someone who can manage their time well, including practice, homework and social activities. It also helps for them to be supportive of their team and be able to consider feedback.”
Brooklyn also mentioned, “There is not any drama that I know of between anyone on the team. We basically just talk about our day at school and anything other than basketball.”
Brooklyn says she balances practice and school work by doing most of her work at school before her late practices. The team has late practices and early practices that change according to gym schedule. The late practices go from 6pm to 8:15 pm and the early practices go from 3:40pm to 6pm. Both practices can run late so Brooklyn tries to stay ahead of her homework.
Practice starts with a warm-up where the girls run up and down the court, and practice ball handling and lay-ups. Then the practice moves into scrimmages and plays. To finish our interview, I asked Brooklyn if there was anything else she would like to add. Brooklyn mentioned that the boys’ varsity team seems to get a broader variety of Northwest merchandise than the girls who only get jerseys. She thought this was because Northwest seems to hype up their boys’ team more than their girls’ team. Brooklyn felt this was slightly unfair but she understands if the school is just on a budget. She also said she is happy I’m writing this article and publicizing the girls’ team. Make sure you show up to support the girls team!
