This year at Jacksonville High School, the girls’ basketball season is starting off with an optimistic attitude. Though the regular season games begin in mid-November, the team is already hard at work, determined to be the best they can be.
Long before tryouts, which were held on November 4-6, many of the players began their preparation in the summer. Summer basketball included twenty games as well as a basketball camp at the University of Kentucky in June. Also, team members had the chance to go to two open gyms per week for a month which gave the players additional practice.
The girls’ basketball coach, Jeanette Barlow, boasts ten returning players, two of which are top leading scorers, as well as a number of new players. These team members have a slightly different kind of game to play this year because they are focusing more on man to man defense. Coach Barlow says that this emphasis is more unfamiliar to the team because they have “primarily [been a] zone team.”
With these improvements and alterations in play, the team is anxious to start the regular season games on November 19 against Quincy High School. Of the several teams they play against in the Central State Eight Conference, Barlow expects that Springfield High School, Rochester, Normal U High, Peoria Notre Dame, and Peoria Manual will be the biggest competitors. However, with the determination displayed by the team so far, the chances of triumph have greatly increased.
With the positive look of the 2013-2014 basketball team, Barlow has confident feelings for the future. She and her players are excited to get started and although there is much to work on, Barlow thinks that they have the potential to be one of the top teams in the conference. She adds that “determination, perseverance, and believing in [themselves] is key to a great year.” With this, we can all await a promising season at JHS.