Play Ball!

Bishop Kelly girl’s varsity basketball team. Photo by BK yearbook staff member Avery Hopkins.

Written By: Hadley Dermott

Having trained diligently since this summer, the Bishop Kelly girls basketball team finally starts the season with high hopes. Coach Dereck McCormick has been coaching girls varsity basketball for sixteen years and has seen many team dynamics come and go. However, he believes this is one of the best teams to date with “enthusiastic games and practices” and “superior chemistry.”

Many players agree with Coach McCormick. Junior, Brooke Hutchinson, says that this team “treats each other like family,” and they are “always there to have each other’s backs.” This is the camaraderie that BK sports cultivate and thrive on. Their team mentality and passion give them a great dynamic on and off the court. 

They are all hoping this attitude will assist them as they approach the Silent Knight, arguably the best of the year. The Silent Knight Night tradition asks that the fan section stay quiet and not cheer until the sixth point, upon which the student section explodes with energy and starts to cheer on their basketball teams! The Silent Knight tradition was created with the idea that the fans are the sixth team member, hence why the sixth point is the most important. Lauren Fettic, a post player on the varsity team, says that Silent Knight is her favorite game of the year because “typically [they] never have students come to games.” The team is excited for this game, and have been practicing in preparation so they don’t let down the fans showing up to support them and that sixth point.

Senior Jordyn Carnell, a guard, states that they are all exceedingly positive and despite mistakes on the court, they all continue to support each other which allows them to communicate better. She believes that this will be their greatest advantage while playing this season. With diverse personalities on the team, each member has a role to play, and when they can support each other through the pressure, a positive team environment is cultivated. 

This team, despite incredible discipline, knows how to have fun, which includes numerous pre-game traditions. Post and senior, Addy Laible states that one of her favorite memories in her years of playing is “singing on the bus, so loud that coaches often tell [them] to quit it” as well as going as a team for food before every game, home or away. Their all around positivity is recognized and appreciated by many on the team and furthers their family dynamic.

As seniors, Laible and Carnell both reiterate that they will miss seeing everyone and that they “love the girls on the team deeply.” They are both excited to put their heart and soul into delivering this team to state one last year. They are not alone! Many players say that they have high hopes for finishing out the season at state and Coach McCormick believes this is the team to do it!