Girls junior varsity basketball is bouncing its way back at Townsend Harris.
Last year, the girls JV basketball team had a 3-5 record, beating Springfield Gardens by three games, and losing to Bayside High School by one game.
As the new season gets under way, we spoke to this year’s teammembers to see what they are expecting for the season.
Despite not making playoffs, the team and the coach all commended each other for their effort last year, and for this year, they are ready to continue to do their very best.
For last year, it was a season of improvement and hard work. “We worked extremely hard and improved greatly. Although we had a lot of fun throughout the season, we were unable to make it to the playoffs,” said Nicole Fountoulis, coach of the girls JV basketball team.
Last year’s captain, Aeriell Mansell, explained why the season was a struggle.
“Most of our practices were late, 4:30 to 6:30, and usually in the hallways. So we didn’t get as much time as we would’ve liked to on the court.”
Coach Nicole Fountoulis has plans for this year’s team.
“[I will] improve on the fundamentals: strength and endurance, and by working on basketball skills, knowledge, communication, teamwork and maintaining a positive attitude throughout the season,” she said.
Sophomore Cindy Wu, the only returning player, will become this year’s captain. As captain, she plans to “give tips during practice and offer encouragement.”
Junior Elizabeth Ha has confidence in this year’s captains.
“I have confidence in their leadership skills. They will surely be able to help the rookies feel more comfortable and help ease them into the basketball family. As for games, I am sure they will set great examples in facing game situations. I’m confident that they will be able to lead the JV team towards excellence,” she proudly said.
Former JV player, junior Diamond Moody, saw JV as a fun experience.
Reminiscing on her time with the team, she shared her fondest memories, explaining, “One day we even played football for practice to work on catching and hand-eye coordination. Also, after one game the team went out to eat, which was a good bonding experience.”
There’s no doubt that many of this year’s players will make the same memories this year as they attempt to achieve all of their goals in the coming season.
