With the winter season underway, one of the most successful winter sports teams this year has been the girls’ varsity basketball team.
The team fell short of winning the MBIL league championship last year, losing 41-35 to The Landmark School in the finals. The improvement since then gives them a significantly higher chance to win it all this year.
The team has been cruising through its opponents recently, which has helped improve the team’s morale greatly. The teams’ improvement is centered around the new talent attained since last year. Former NBA G-League standout Courtney Sims is in his second year of coaching the team.
Coach Sims’ experience in coaching his Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team called Team Sims, as well as his recruitment has helped add four new players to the team from Sims’ AAU team. His renowned basketball career includes playing in the NBA and NBA G-League, which included a G-League MVP award in 2008. He also had a 12-year overseas professional career.
The team started the season with disappointing losses to Milton Academy and St. Andrew’s School. The team showed a high level of promise in these losses to teams that have very high-level basketball programs. After that, they rattled off six straight wins, including an emphatic 91-26 home win over Covenant Christian Academy on January 13.
Team Assistant Coach and an alumni of the School, Brendan Rollins (also from Team Sims) shared his thoughts on the team’s impressive season.
“For me, I would say our remarkable season so far is strictly dedicated to the work,” Rollins said. “You know, we work hard. We work all offseason. These girls play with us year-round, most of them, with Team Sims AAU as well. And, you know, basketball’s our life, and we try our best to pay it forward to these girls. And we put in the work every day, and these girls are down to put the work in, and it shows.”
Rollins also shared how his coaching experience and that of Coach Sims have helped improve this team.
“So, for me, you know, I coached for a long time,” Rollins said. “I’ve coached, you know, at least 10 years. Courtney’s been coaching for even longer, and he was a professional player. So, I think our experience on the court, me playing college and him being a pro, definitely helps. As well as my coaching style as an AAU coach definitely translates. And having these girls all year round also translates. But like I said, it’s all about the work.”
Seventh grader Eliana Barros, who has played an instrumental role in the team’s turnaround including her 38-point performance against The Montrose School, gave her thoughts about Coach Sims and the team’s success.
“Our season has been great so far and it’ll just keep getting better and better,” Barros said. “We are a very skilled team, and the stats show that. The more comfortable we get with each other the more efficient we play because we learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses. I’m very proud of the hard work our team puts in and I can see all of us improving, learning, and growing as a team.”
Barros also gave her thoughts on how Coach Sims’ coaching experience has helped improve the team.
“Coach’s knowledge and experience in basketball have been the key to our success,” Barros said. “He has helped improve the team by knowing what workouts will make us better and stronger, [and] what plays will be successful on the court. I feel like that helps when it comes down to making great players and that’s what he’s trying to do. It’s no walk in the park but his methods bring out the best player in all of us.”
The teams’ next game is today against the Landmark School, where they look to capture another league win.
