2017-2018 Basketball Season Begins With Tryouts
November 7, 2017
The AHN basketball team held their tryouts for the 2017-2018 season on Oct. 30 and 31 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Both Junior Varsity and Varsity try out together in the gym. The Varsity coach and Assistant Athletic Director, Chris Severini, and Junior Varsity coach and History teacher, Stacy Filocco, run the tryouts.
All grade levels are represented in the tryouts. Every year the amount of freshmen that show up to the tryouts varies, and it is never certain that they will come back for the second round of tryouts. This year, the former team members were pleasantly surprised to see the amount of underclassmen present.
“Tryouts have been really good. There were more freshmen who came out than I thought,” said Lindsey Perez (‘18).
The group of new girls have impressed other veteran players during the tryouts.
Mickey Carney (‘18) said, “It looks like we will have good JV and Varsity teams this year.” In agreement, Katherine Hahn (‘18) said, “We have a couple of stars in the making.”
The AHN Girls’ Varsity basketball team won states in 1996.
The freshmen on the team have started to create a bond with the older girls, and already have some favorite activities to participate in during the tryouts.
Samantha Meurer (‘21) said, “I like the people on the team because they are a lot of fun, and scrimmaging is my favorite part of tryouts so far because it is not just running.”
The underclassmen have shown their talents on the court over the past couple of days and are enjoying being a part of the AHN basketball community. While this is the freshman’s first experience on a high school basketball team, the rest of the girls at the tryouts are back for another season and are working hard.
Maddy Rupple (’18) said, “Just getting back in the groove has been the most difficult part of tryouts.”
The group does many different drills throughout the tryout.
The Webster Dictionary definition of a layup is “a shot in basketball made from near the basket usually by playing the ball off the backboard.”
- Six Baskets: For six continuous minutes, the girls hit each basket on the court (three layups and three jump shots) to practice shooting, ball handling, and dribbling skills as they make their rounds.
- Three Man Weave: Groups of three girls go up and down the court passing the ball in a weave, or braided, style. The last to be passed the ball must make a lay up.
- Five on Four: Five girls line up on the half court line and four different girls line up on the baseline. The coach then passes the ball to someone from the team on the baseline, and whoever is parallel to her on the half court line must do a sprint to the baseline as everyone else moves down the court towards the basket. The baseline team is on offense and the half court line team is on defense. If the offense scores, then the defense does five push ups, but if the defense succeeds the offense does the push ups.
- Ball handling: The girls dribble the ball in a zigzag fashion to the cones set up, and at each cone they bounce the ball behind their back, cross the ball over to their other hand, dribble backwards a few steps, and other ball handling movements.
- 17: The girls line up on the base line and run to half court and back and full court and back in just 17 seconds.
Many of the girls on the basketball team also play other sports as well.
It takes a lot of stamina to not only get through the tryouts, but the whole season; however, this has not stopped any of these girls.
Dorothy Pickard (‘20) said, “I have played basketball since I was in middle school, and I like to be on a team and the intensity of the game.”
While it is an exciting beginning to the new season, the seniors are feeling a little sad that this is their last year on the AHN basketball team.
Most of the girls at the tryouts participated in preseason conditioning.
Kayla Eckermann (‘18) said, “Knowing the fact that it is our last season is the most difficult part of the tryouts.”
Even though the five seniors on the team are nearing the end of their time on the AHN court, there still is much to look forward to during the season.
“I’m most excited for Lindsey to hit her 1,000 points, because it is such a big accomplishment, and for senior night since I have been looking forward to it since freshman year,” says Carney.
The teams this year consist of 21 girls. On varsity there are 10 players, and on junior varsity there are 11 players. Below are the Varsity and JV team rosters.
The 2017-2018 AHN high school basketball team roster was decided upon prior to the tryouts.
Varsity’s first official match is an away game Monday, Nov. 14, against Alonso at home, and JV’s first match is a home game Wednesday, Nov. 28, against Cypress Creek.
Video Credit: Lauren Pieper/Achona Online