For junior Eva Keenan, the basketball team’s strongest aspect is the environment built by the players. Keenan has played basketball since elementary school and emphasizes the importance of a strong community on and off the court.

“My favorite thing about the team is probably the team culture,” said Keenan. “Just working together on the court, learning new things and getting better altogether.”

As the team enters its second year under the new coaching staff led by head coach Brent Reed, Keenan said the group has become increasingly comfortable with one another. “We’ve spent a lot more time together and with our coach,” said Keenan. “[Coach Reed] was new last year, so we were kind of figuring it out. I think we’ve gotten a lot more used to playing with each other, and we have some new ideas to bring this year.”

Basketball has taught her many important lessons that help her off the court. “I’ve learned from basketball how to work with others,” said Keenan. “Even if you aren’t the best of friends, you’ve got to get along and work through challenges.”

This season, the team is focusing on improving its communication and executing new plays. “We’re really working on being consistent,” Keenan said. “A lot of times, we’ll run our play once, and then the next couple of times we mess it up. We are being really positive and giving each other feedback in a nice, helpful way.”

Maddie Goldberg, a friend of Keenan and a girls’ basketball teammate, shared Keenan’s biggest strengths on the team. “On the court, she’s able to work through mistakes effectively and have an open mindset,” said Goldberg. “She adds a lot of positive energy to the team and lights the mood when it needs it.”

For the remainder of the season, Keenan hopes the team’s work will translate into positive results. “As a team, I think we want to have a good record and meet some teams that we hadn’t met in the past,” said Keenan.