The girls’ varsity basketball team has kicked off its season, and the NWN had the chance to interview the team coach Tony Konsewicz and senior Molly Kleppin to get to know about the team’s upcoming season’s plans.NWN: How is the team looking this year?
Konsewicz: The girls’ varsity basketball team is very young this year. We have one freshman and three sophomores on the varsity squad.
NWN: What are some goals that the girls are hoping to meet this season? What will let you guys accomplish such goals?
Konsewicz: Our goal as it is every year is to win as many games as we can. We are the defending CSL champs and will be so until someone knocks us off. It is going to take a lot of hard work and the willingness to learn on a daily basis in practice, then applying what they have learned in the games.
Kleppin: I want us to work hard and continue to improve every opportunity we get. It’s a great confidence booster and it builds unity when you set a goal as a team and then are able to accomplish that goal through hard work and determination. A team goal for us this year is to build confidence in our ability on the floor.
NWN: What are some important meets/games in the season?
NWN: Who are the top team contributors this year?
Konsewicz: We are going to lean on our seniors a lot this season, seeing that we are so young. Kleppin is a four year varsity player and adds a wealth of experience. She is such a great leader on and off the floor. Our young players could learn a great deal from her. Michelle Karp, Jasmine Townsend, and Jessie Simkins return after seeing playing time as juniors. They are familiar with what we do and add stability. Jenny Jenkins helps round out our interior presence on the floor.
NWN: Finally, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the team?
Kleppin: This year, our team is young, and I think one thing we are lacking is experience. As a team, we need to do a better job of recognizing how much hard work is truly required to get a win, especially in our conference. But this can be seen as a positive thing as well because we know what are weaknesses are and we can really work hard to improve on them.
