By Ali Hurney ‘26
The girls basketball team has a wide range of talent and skills, but will they have enough confidence to come out on top?
The Lions kicked off their season under 12th-year coach Andre Foreman, who leads a mix of experienced upperclassmen and several up-and-coming underclassmen.
“We have a much more talented team this year,” Coach Andre Foreman said. “All our returners have improved from last season and with new additions like Kendyl Barrett, Sara Holzman, Becca Hymes, and Zaira Chappell, we have become a much deeper team, talent-wise.”
This season’s starting lineup is junior Kendyl Barrett, junior AB Tsai-Turton, senior Chloe Ferber, senior Safa Al-Uqdah-Robinson, and sophomore Payton Grant, with Tsai-Turton, Al-Uqdah-Robinson, and Barrett being the top scorers.
With a record of 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the league, the team works to improve every day. According to Coach Foreman, on defense, the team works to press the ball and cause turnover opportunities. As for their offensive strategy, they want to work to move on and off the ball more.
“I do think we could share the ball more,” said Foreman. “But more than that we need to be more efficient. Right now our shooting percentage is not where it should be. Once we clear that up we will be a much better offensive team.”
Tsai-Turton and Barrett both said that the biggest challenge this team faces is their mindset. Barrett said that they might be considered underdogs in the ISL, but with a confident mindset, they can have a winning season.
Tsai-Turton said, “It’s a lot of pressure because people are asking whether we are going to be good this year.” Like Barret and Coach Foreman, Tsai-Turton believes the team is talented and will improve as the season goes on.
Although the expectations are high, the girls are like a family. They always support each other, help each other up, and are very welcoming to the new players. The team is filled with fun and consists of lots of singing, dancing, and cracking jokes.
Barrett said “It’s a fun team. And, yeah, lots of big personalities, lots of lots of laughing, but we still come to the gym and work hard.”