According to NBC Camps, confidence depends more on an individual’s belief in their abilities than solely on their skill level or expertise. The seven players on the varsity basketball team have practiced this concept throughout this winter season.
Confidence is the feeling of firm belief that one can fully rely on someone or something, and it is often linked with success. The more confidence a player has, the better they will perform, and, according to NBC Camps, this is measured in thoughts, feelings and behaviors.
Senior player Alexa Kagiwada said she believes one has to be confident in their ability to play basketball and persist.
“I think you also have to be confident in your ability to win in the future,” Kagiwada said. “It’s about going into a game when you’re losing, and you’re probably going to lose, and still trusting yourself, and especially your teammates, to still go out there and give 100%.”
Varsity basketball assistant coach Luis Salas said he enjoyed coaching the team during his first year at Archer. Although the team has experienced many challenges during the season, such as injuries, he said, they have always overcome them.
“Losing is always a challenge. Injuries are always a challenge. Figuring out how to make the players better is always a challenge. The hardest thing to overcome is injuries, just because that’s so out of control,” Salas said. “Can’t really do much about it, besides figure out how to work around it.”
Kagiwada got injured after jamming her finger at practice, causing her to be unable to participate in the first few weeks of the season. During her time off, she spent a lot of time studying basketball by watching TV.
“When I was injured, I really began to appreciate the sport, and I really got into watching basketball,” Kagiwada said. “I think that also, in turn, makes you a better basketball player, because now you see what you see on TV, you see on the court, and I think they go hand-in-hand and being a better watcher and being a better player.”
Paloma Lebenzon (‘27) reflected on the team’s growth and camaraderie. Over the season, she said she learned how to stay mentally focused in the game.
“You don’t want to hesitate because it’s a really fast game,” Lebenzon said. “If you hesitate or think too hard about what you’re doing, it’ll backfire on you.”
Salas said one way to maintain confidence is keeping a “chip on your shoulder,” which he said reminds you of how far you have come.
“Every day when I wake up, I always try to remind myself why I’m doing the things I’m doing,” Salas said. “I’ve struggled with confidence before, and I don’t want to regress.”
However, he said he believes that the girls on the team have not lost confidence or their drive to keep trying to win.
“Even though the seasons looking down right now in our record I believe in this team — they have a lot of heart. The morale is always up and that’s the most important thing in the team is not losing their confidence,” Salas said. “They seem like they are still wanting to win, and they don’t look like they lost their confidence. I’m really proud of this team, and I’m excited to see how things look in the future.”
Kagiwada said scores do not represent the team’s entire journey. The coaches also support the team by staying positive, she said, and introducing an inspiring quote each game.
“The coaches give us three words or a quote to consider before every game and I think when people really embody that, I think that’s the most fun part,” Kagiwada said. “I think we all agree that we’ve been on an upward track since at least the end of winter break and I think that’s the most important part.”
Both Kagiwada and Lebenzon said the small, tight-knit team gets along well. Lebenzon said while they always need more players, she loves the current team.
“We definitely need more people, but I love the team, and I love the coaches, everybody’s super nice,” Lebenzon said. “I think we’re a really good group of girls. Go Panthers!”
