December 6, 2023 – Story by Ava DiCecca, photos by Joshua Ross
Harborwomen basketball is back in action and looking to set the tone for the season right out of the gate. They have a very young team this year having brought up four freshmen, and with that comes the challenge of defining roles within the team. Head Coach Roland Millien is focused on achieving that before their season gets underway so they can shift their attention to some of their bigger goals for the year. After a slow start last season contributed to them just missing the playoffs, they are looking to omit that entirely this year and be a consistent force all the way into the postseason.
The three senior captains Nina Crean, Sophie Kerr, and Marissa Matthews will be looking to foster a comfortable environment for these younger players as they get accustomed to varsity-level competition. They are ready to take on big leadership roles and encourage their team to not only come out firing, but to bring that same drive into every game. They are three very experienced players that are more than capable of leading a team into the postseason. Coach Millien added that he wants “them to be the ones guiding. For the most part I will always have a captain on the floor.” He also mentioned that they will have help from some strong new players, as well as ones moving up from JV and of course, a big basket scorer junior Caroline Connolly who will be instrumental to their success.
Similar to past years, their biggest strength will be their defense. Coach Millien stated that the key to their success will undeniably be that they are “a defensive team that puts the pressure on you for 32 minutes” and they have been training to assure that aspect of their game will never falter. Nina Crean stated that she thinks “if we get good defensive energy it’ll transfer to the offense and we could be competitive against any team in our league.” This aspect of their game will contribute greatly to them becoming a multifaceted team. Personally, along with being a strong and dependable leader that her teammates can turn to, Crean hopes to successfully step into a big scoring role this year while also continuing to be a shut down defender.
Kerr spoke to some of her goals and expectations of herself for the upcoming season. She stated, “defense is something I pride myself in” and she hopes her persistence and determination on defense, as well as that of her fellow upperclassmen, will be something that translates to her younger teammates and can help the team greatly this year. She appeared very confident in the team’s abilities and excited to get back out on the court. Kerr is eager to get to know her new team and see how they all work together and form great chemistry as the season progresses.
Matthews had many of the same aspirations adding that she is most excited to “see how we go up against all these teams in the league. Everyone lost players, but I think we will be really strong.” She will also have a very big part to play this season and have to take on a dominant role to further the team’s success. As a rule, it is always very exciting to watch a team come together and it seems that these captains, as well as their coach, are anxious to see that play out as well.
Coach Millien and his team are beyond determined to make a statement this year and fight their way into the postseason. Their tenacity on defense is nearly impossible to match and if they can use that to jumpstart a powerful offense as well, they will be a tough team to compete with this year. Looking even farther down the road, a young team that is already this strong suggests great things should be expected of the program beyond the current year. The seasoned captains hope to pass down what they learned and, after a successful senior season, leave their mark on the younger players who will be furthering the program for years to come.