It was time for a culture change for the Athol girls basketball team. After a 3-17 season, the Bears set a different course for the future of the program.
Enter first year coach Peter Whitmore. An experienced coach, Whitmore likes what he sees so far in preseason from the Bears.
“The numbers are good,” Whitmore said. “Just trying to change the culture and getting girls excited about basketball again. We are all excited. The energy is good. We had a great first week of practice. The girls are buying into it which is nice.”
Preaching confidence to the team is paramount for Athol. After an exuberant Saturday morning practice with plenty of scrimmaging, the Bears seem to have identified an enthusiasm for the upcoming season.
“There was a lot of good stuff going on out there today,” Whitmore said. “We have the athletes in the school. Some of the girls didn’t play for various reasons. But they are there now. Which is good.”
Senior Abigayle Spooner brings leadership and scoring to the Bears’ roster. She has an inside presence as well as a nice jump shot for the Bears. Athol plays in the Tri-County North league this year. The move creates more opportunities for competitive play. The Tri-County North league consists of Smith Vocational, Pathfinder, Duggan, Baystate Academy, Turners Falls and Putnam.
“We are going to approach it the same way as we would,” Spooner said. “Just to win. Try our best. Work as a team. Just play better than we did last year.”
Spooner expects a better product this year. Whitmore identified her as a solid leader for the team.
“We are definitely going to show up and show out [and] be aggressive,” Spooner said. “I feel like we are going to be a much better team this year for sure.”
Fellow senior Madelyn Hermes has some simple goals for herself and the team.
“For me, it’s getting better than I was last year,” Hermes said. “As a team, win more games than last season and maybe make it to states.”
Like many teams in the region, there is a focus on communication for the Bears. At practice, the Bears were vocal, but junior Madeline Desrosiers would like it to translate to the regular season.
“I feel like we just need to talk more with each other,” Desrosiers said. “Get better at communicating our plays.”
Sophomore Ava Adams is an important piece to Athol’s backcourt. Adams plays the role of floor general, according to Whitmore. Another player to watch is Meliah Clark who transferred from Fitchburg. Clark has a good basketball skillset and practices relentlessly.
“We have a nice solid group of returning players,” Whitmore said. “But we are excited as well for the younger girls. There are some eighth graders out here hitting shots against the older girls. We are going to try and piece it together for a year or two and build he program and hopefully some nice things will happen in the future.”
The Bears get their season underway against Mount Greylock at Franklin Tech’s Holiday Classic on Thursday, Dec. 11.
