For the past three years, head coaches within the girls basketball program changed. Head varsity coach Jordan Bodyk took the position this season. Assistant coach Garret Belknap also stepped up.
Players learned to grow with these changes every year. Senior Bracyn Landers compared this year to her freshman year.
“I think it is better for us because they are a lot younger, so we can relate more,” Landers said.
New coaches come with new lessons and challenges. Junior Briar Lichlyter practices different techniques, which help players grow with the staff changes.
“We do a lot of different things and try new things, and we see what works best for our team,” Lichlyter said. “I am definitely learning and adapting to the new ways that I am being taught and coached.”
According to Landers, trust builds on helping one another within a team. From coaches to teammates, helping each other is not limited.
“They are not the type of coaches to pull you out if you make a mistake,” Landers said. “They are going to give you a chance and help you if you need help.”
Bodyk coached middle school basketball starting at the start of the 2022 season, and when the position of head coach opened for girls basketball, he stepped into the role, ready and willing to make changes.
“Basketball has always been a passion of mine, so I knew pretty quickly that I wanted to coach,” Bodyk said.
Bodyk helped jumpstart Belknap’s coaching career by asking him if he would be interested in the job. Belknap jumped at the opportunity to pursue this career pathway after coaching middle school basketball for two years at Augusta Middle School.
“Making the jump to high school basketball was not something that I had really planned or thought of,” Belknap said. “It made a lot of sense, coming in, I wanted to establish a consistency, to be here long term.”
The coaches set up future opportunities, pushing students to build a winning culture, so the program can grow.
“It is about winning but not just winning games, but how to win in life,” Belknap said. “We want to give the girls a platform to continue to grow and expand on who they are.”
