![Freshman Milan Earl and sophomore Lucy Kaplan sit with their grandparents at Archer’s annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day Friday, March 15. The event took place over three 75-minute sessions. “[I hope my grandparents] gain an understanding about what I do, Kaplan said, because I know they ask a lot of questions and can sort of see what I do in school and what the experience is like to be here.](https://archeroracle.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/grandparents-day-option-2-1200x800.jpg)
Basketball is back! Archer’s Varsity Basketball team has been training every day both on and off the court to prepare themselves for their new league this season.
Denny Lennon, the head coach of Archer’s Varsity Basketball team, said, “[Last season] we were in the toughest league in the country for all of basketball, by wacky outdated rules within our conference because the two previous years we did so well.” Being in one of the hardest leagues, the team did better than expected. They were able to get a win against defending CIF champion, Santa Monica High School. Fighting through each practice and game they, “still found a way to make it to the play-offs,” says Lennon.
Maia Barnett ’14—the only senior on Archer’s Varsity Basketball team—added, “Last season was fun. We didn’t win as many games as we [would] have liked, but I think we were able to make our goal, which was to go to playoffs. It was great for us to be able to see that competition and be able to play against girls at a very high level.”
This season, Archer’s varsity basketball team is training to improve their technical and tactical skills daily. The fully committed team trains Monday through Friday and occasionally Saturday from 5-7 p.m. Not only are they improving their skills and conditioning with practices, they are also growing as a team.
When asked how this season will turn out, Lennon told the Oracle, “I feel it’s going to be great. We have the best player at our school that we’ve ever had. That’s Maia Barnett. She’s an all-time Archer leader in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. She leads every category. She, above all, wants to be a good team player and share the ball. We have Rachel, who’s a junior, and those are our two older players.” He added, “The rest of our team is all sophomores and freshmen. And so far I’ve been really happy because their effort is excellent. They have a great attitude, and they’re determined and play with heart… That’s why i think they’re going to do well.”
Barnett shared similar feelings regarding the season. “I feel it’s going to go well. I’m the only senior, so that’s kind of sad, but I’m excited to lead the team. We got about six freshmen who are ready to go and who are ready to come out and give it their all. So I’m glad that we have that for the team this year, and I think that we will do very well this season.”
Some of the team’s goals for this season are to be ranked in the top ten of their division, to win a tournament, and to battle for the championship. Another goal was inspired by John Wooden’s quote: “The best way to improve the team is to improve yourself.” They believe that each day of training brings them closer to accomplishing these goals.
Stay updated with MaxPreps, the Archer Athletics page, and the Archer Athletics Facebook to see how Archer’s Varsity Basketball team continues to progress. You can show them your support by wishing them luck and attending their games.
