High school girls basketball had their first practice on November 7th, marking the official start of the basketball season. To start practice, Coach Tiberg gave a speech to all of the players. He shared two quotes to set the tone of season. The first quote was “Focus on your goals, not your fears.” He explained that this quote means you shouldn’t hold back because you’re afraid you’re going to make a mistake. He encouraged the players to take risks and to play hard, and that it is okay to make mistakes. The second quote was “Stay focused. Ignore the distractions, and you will accomplish your goals much faster.” This quote means that if the players can focus entirely on basketball during practices and games and shut out the distractions, it is going to be easier to achieve their goals and perform well. Coach Tiberg also emphasized that the players themselves need to be excited for the season and be striving to achieve their goals. 

The first practice focused particularly on defensive aspects. Coach Tiberg made it clear that improving their defense will help the team win more games. He said he isn’t worried about whether or not the players will be able to score points, he said he is confident that will happen, but that the players need to be able to stop the other team from scoring, too. 

Players were asked about how they are feeling about the start of the season:

Emily Montgomery, a junior: “I’m ready to work. We have some goals to achieve, so I’m going to try my best to accomplish them.”

Kiley Mueller, a junior: “I’m super excited. I have personal and team goals to accomplish, and I am willing to work as much as possible to achieve them. I also hope that we can grow together as a team.”

Inge Hartkoorn, a foreign exchange student: “I’m scared, but it’s gonna be fun. I hope to learn a lot.”

Overall, the girls are excited to be starting the season, and are going to work together to get better as a team. Their first game is on November 18, against Prentice at home.