For those basketball fans out there, you know that a team has 12 players or more, but Masters Girls Varsity Basketball does it with eight and they are all stars. So far, the team has a 4-1 record including their win in the championship game at the Avenues Aviator tournament.
Their head coach, Scott Alvarez, is new to the team this year, but the team connected with him very quickly according to Jennica Pereiras, one of the two team captains. Also Pereiras said, “We have a new coach who is excited to be here and everyone is more committed to the program.” He is known for always quoting Taylor Swift during practices in effort to connect with the team
In an explanation about his Swiftie references, he said, “I like to connect with them. I want them to work hard and be focused, but I also like to keep things light and funny. I have to keep up with the new material.”
The team has many promising players. For example, newcomer Ada de la Quintana Aramendi ’26 transferred this fall from a school in the Basque Country. She came to Masters, mostly to play basketball, but also was excited about the opportunity to learn about the U.S., improve her English, and take advantage of the opportunity Masters’ facilities provide. She started playing basketball at the age of eight in her hometown, after a group of older kids started teaching her how to play a variety of sports.
“It gave me an opportunity to form relationships with people I usually wouldn’t talk to.”
Challenges may arise with injuries as it can severely impact the team’s small rotation and can ruin the game dynamic. Many girls are new to the sport and are underclassmen, so they are all improving and growing together. Alvarez likes to run five-on-five drills, but with a team of only eight players, he has to find different drills.
Even though a small team comes with inherent challenges, it does allow for greater team bonding, according to Alvarez.
He said, “Despite it being most of the girls’ first year on the team, we are all super close and stop each other in the hallways all the time to talk about basketball and our personal lives.”
Alvarez said he believes that the team has a great balance between skill and character and that many of the players don’t realize how far they can push themselves until they are given the opportunity.
Pereiras also said, “It’s hard physically, but it’s nice to have a small group because we can connect. Trust is everything.”
To improve their team dynamic and form closer relationships, they are planning on creating some team merch and doing activities outside of school together, like team dinner.
Alvarez actually sees the small number of players as a strength because no one is competing for things like playing time and they all recognize that they have to put in 100% effort. His main goal is to focus on making each player the best they can be and that will make the team the best that it can be.
He said, “I’m not thinking about the 20th game of the year, but I’m thinking about when our next game is, and what the next step is.”
