By Charlotte Wheler, Contributing Writer

This season, Winsor Varsity Basketball (WVBB) has quickly progressed to become a competitive opponent. Recently, WVBB lost by only a single point to Middlesex Academy, a team that defeated them by over 20 points at the start of the season. Co-captain Nell Sparks ’25 credits WVBB’s rapid improvement to the players’ strong work ethic. She said, “People often [come] to shoot around during frees or [stay] after practice to continue working… we have a team slogan of #2%better that reminds us every day to keep working hard together.”

A strong team dynamic is also essential to WVBB’s success on the court. Head Coach Bushman said, “Being able to be friends and enjoy each other off the court only makes us stronger on the court.” To strengthen their team chemistry, the players go out for team dinners and attend college basketball games. A favorite memory for team member Aoife Keane ’27 was when the team celebrated one of their coaches’ birthdays. She said that after practice they “ate cupcakes, sang to her, and gave her gifts as a team.” Keane also noted the importance of a positive team culture, saying that basketball is “kind of an intimate sport; you need to have chemistry with the other people on the court for the game to go smoothly.” 

The team also works hard to improve their game by building upon on-court drills and supplementing their basketball training with other forms of exercise. Coach Bushman describes how, at the beginning of the basketball season, “there was a big gap when it came to some of the fundamentals of basketball and…[players’] game IQ.” She elaborated that the team “started at the bottom with simple type drills”  to improve their basic skills and strategy and has since been able to practice other drills “at a higher level, with more complexity.” On Monday afternoons, the players work in the fitness center with Head Athletic Trainer Mr. Newell to elevate their basketball skills through strength and conditioning training. These efforts have paid off in leaps and bounds. 

While the team has lost more than they have won this season, a majority of the games were extremely close—a deficit of anywhere from one to eight points. Coach Bushman shared that, for her, “[those games] are wins because the team is competing for all four quarters… they’re talking and communicating with their teammates.” Crucial to this competitiveness is a strong defense, which is Coach Bushman’s top priority. Despite being a young  team, the players work extra hard to have a strong defense. While she acknowledges the difficulties of having many young players on the team, who have less experience navigating tight situations in games, Coach Bushman emphasizes the benefit of their “understanding of my expectations at a very young age.” WVBB’s focus on improving the foundation of their basketball skills and strategy this season will certainly make them a team to watch in the coming seasons. As Coach Bushman said, “We’ve already kind of laid the foundation to build upon, and I truly believe that Winsor Varsity Basketball is going to be extremely competitive in the coming years.” With the combination of a supportive and close-knit team culture and a strong foundation of basketball skills and strategy, Winsor Varsity Basketball has a bright future!☐ 

Winsor Varsity Basketball, photo by Adam Richins