MARCH WISDOM

Girls’ basketball at SCDS

During March Madness, we gather around our screens. We root for our teams, and we monitor our brackets. Clearly, basketball is all about winning. Or is it?

“In our second game, multiple players on our grades 5/6 team passed up consecutive open layups,” says Jie Ren, one of SCDS’s basketball coaches. Why did they pass on their layups? “In order to give their teammates opportunities to score their first basket ever,” she says.

There’s no question that the girls’ basketball teams at SCDS had a great and winning season this year. They have energy and drive. Importantly, they also possess a strong and generous sense of team.

When asked about basketball, Audrey (grade 5), says she likes everything — shooting, passing, dribbling. But the best part is the other players. “There’s a lot of teamwork in it,” she says. You can see this teamwork reflected in the encompassing way that SCDS approaches the entire basketball program across multiple teams and genders.

“On all our teams, we’re using the same philosophies, language, and terminology, and the teams had very similar game plans,” says Davis Jones, a faculty member and basketball coach. “Each team can support one another and see that they all run the same plays. It’s an inclusive approach, and we’re proud of the program.”

What do our students think about when they play basketball? Nora (grade 6) has some good advice for other players. “Not many people think about warming up and stretching, but, to many players like me, it’s essential,” she says. Caroline (grade 7) enjoys the game’s excitement. “I love the thrill of scoring points, dribbling up the court — and when we make an amazing play and we score off of it,” she says.

The scores were good this spring. One of the reasons is that Davis and Jie stay late, working with students who want to hone their skills. “The people who embraced those extra opportunities had more confidence in their own abilities,” says Davis. “They saw clear examples of hard work paying off.”

Basketball — and the work ethic, accountability, and discipline that accompanied it — meant a great deal to Jie as a youth. “It has brought me lifelong friends and years of joy…I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today had I not picked up a basketball when I was in fifth grade,” she says.

Anvi (grade 8) reflects for a minute about what she loves most about the game. At first, playing basketball was discouraging; when she played her older brother, she’d always lose by a significant margin. But she kept working and training.

“What I love most about basketball is the way it challenges me,” Anvi says. “It constantly challenges me to improve, to learn from the wins and the losses, and to be a better player, teammate, and leader.”

It’s been a fantastic year for the talented, disc-loving faculty at SCDS. Last summer in Limerick, Ireland, social studies teacher Lexi Garrity (left), math teacher Stephen Gussin (right), and their team (SOS) placed third in the mixed teams category in the World Masters Ultimate Club Championships. In addition, Lexi and her club team, Seattle Mixtape, won the national and world Ultimate Club Championships in the same year (aka “the double peak”), and her professional team, the Seattle Tempest, was undefeated in the inaugural season of the Western