Ida B. Wells High School’s Women’s Basketball (IBWWB) program has been consistent and successful, despite only having three teams.
But this season, they had high numbers leading up to tryouts, and looked to round out their ranks. They aimed to welcome freshman and novice players to the IBWWB community with open arms.
“We have a lot of freshmen who are coming in hot with a lot of talent, so I think that would be inspiring for people to try out and add to the program,” says Margo Denny, a senior and varsity basketball player at IBW.
IBWWB’s prospective numbers before tryouts were at 42, with 19 of those being freshmen. “There’s a lot more excitement just knowing that there’s going to be more people and new, not even just like the players…but how they are on a personal level, and connecting with them,” said Denny. “It definitely creates new opportunities and new excitement… having a big grade like that coming.”
With each team having between 11-13 girls, they filled the whole program this year. But adding more student-athletes to the program means more planning and logistics.
The IBWWB program has to juggle practice times, with junior varsity and varsity practicing after school, and JV2 in the morning, along with timing and space issues with other sports. Between IBW’s men’s basketball team and cheer team, they have learned to work with their community, rather than compete.
Having to schedule equitable gym time has helped shape community between the different programs. “It forces our coaches to communicate and develop relationships and strengthen the connections …which is going to strengthen the programs,” says Glen Coblens, head coach for IBWWB.
The large number of freshmen who signed up for tryouts can be attributed to the strong communities IBW freshmen are involved in. From youth to middle school programs as well as clinics led by high schoolers, incoming freshmen are bringing their experience and passion into the program.Coblens also says that there’s an ebb and flow between classes, “Every class is different, and every class has its strengths…this year’s freshman class just has a lot of interest.”
Regardless if they’re a new player or returning, the team still has a heavy emphasis on creating a positive experience, says Coblens. “They’re more important to us as people than players.”
Building strong friendships and a “family atmosphere in the program,” creates success on and off the court. “I think our numbers growing will allow us to have that stronger connectivity, because we’ll have more players that are really just having some fun and playing basketball together,” says Coblens.
From team trips and retreats to whole program practices in the gym after school, the team fosters team bonding, inclusion and positivity.
At their practices, having more girls on the court brings more energy and enthusiasm. Denny said a game they like to play called “UCLA” brings all the programs together and a high-energy atmosphere. “It’s [the game] constantly going back and forth, and you get the opportunity to have quick offensive sets, but it still feels like you have that camaraderie and a fun, big team environment.”
Denny also said that having more players in the program might change turnouts at home games. “It would increase not just inclusion within the basketball program, but people coming to these sports games,” says Denny. “More people in the [school] getting the word out about games and …raising the culture for basketball.”
While nine seniors did graduate the program last year, this year’s seniors are quick to fill in any gaps. “You’ll see this year that our seniors have that leadership, and they’re going to exhibit it, and I think it’s really going to help our team this year,” says Coblens.
“[A goal is] continuing to build up our community, especially for the younger class who’s coming up and cultivating their confidence,” says Denny. “Our coach talks to us about how we can be inclusive and instill confidence within young players who have great skill but maybe are lacking…familiarity with the program and being a high school basketball player.”
No matter what the team’s accomplishments or numbers are this season, “The most important part of what we do as coaches is helping our student athletes grow as people through sports,” says Coblens.
IBW is full of incredible student-athletes, both in the classroom and on the court. IBWWB is especially lucky to have a strong community, from freshmen to seniors, who can’t wait to work and play on the team. Their league play starts in January, with their first league game against Benson High School on Jan. 8.
