After two months of conditioning, the girls’ varsity basketball team will focus on drills and basic skills in preparation for the long-awaited season.

Bonnie Hansen, ’07, has played basketball for six years and believes the team’s strength relies on the strong relationships between the players.

“I like to play basketball because it is a fun sport to play and watch,” Hansen said. “I began playing because my whole family played basketball.”

Although last year’s season ended with an 8-12 record in the West Sierra League (WSL), the team will rely on five returning players to improve the record.

“Last year’s team was strong and we worked well together,” Hansen said. “This year we have alot of new varsity players and there is a lot of opportunities to show what they can do.”

Captains Andrea Munoz and Tara Albrechtson both graduated last year. Hansen wants to follow in their footsteps and become captain. Her teammates in addition to coach Josh Tosland expect Hansen to lead the team on and off the court.

“Bonnie is very gifted and has a natural talent in basketball,” Tosland said. “She is one of the team’s strongest offensive players. I expect big things out of her this year.”

This will be Hansen’s last year of playing competitive basketball, since she will attend Fresno State next year to study business.

“Even though I am excited about this year, I am sad that I will be leaving,” Hansen said.

The practices consist of conditioning, various drills and team bonding.

“The practices are rough and tough this year,” Hansen said. “Even though they are hard, the practices we are having will get us into shape.”

In an effort to strengthen team relationships, the team went on for a preseason retreat to Disneyland on Nov. 18-19.

“It was fun and and a great way for the team to bond because I got to know some of the players better,” Larissa Hensley, ’09, said, “and I got to go on a lot of rides.”

Usually players bond by embarssment via initiations, when a player moves to varsity. However this year the players began a new tradtion by starting the retreat.

“For my initiation I had to sing,” Hansen said. “It wasn?t just singing I had to sing “We Will Survive,” at the Olive Garden while we were eating. Doing this made me bond with the team and they loved making me do things they told me to do. Even though there are no initiations this year we went to Disneyland and helped bring the team together.”

The girls’ basketball team will host their first game against Immanuel on Dec 1.