Every year, the Foran girls’ basketball team gets ready for a new season, motivated by past successes and teamwork. However, this year, the preparation for the season looks slightly different.

This year, the team is being led by a new coach, Ms. Courtney Manciero.

With a new coach, the players are ready to quickly adapt to her new style of coaching.

Manciero states, “Being a new coach at Foran has been a very easy transition. Everyone has been very welcoming and supportive, and the team has been very positive about the changes we are making.”

Each practice starts with stretching and warm-up exercises, followed by lane slide drills and practice of skills that could prove helpful during a game. The majority of practice is taken up by running the new playbook, a strategy implemented by Manciero.

Senior Ava Sanz states, “The team is doing a great job adjusting to an entire new coaching staff in a short period of time. I think we appreciate the opportunity and we all want to play well for her.”

This year’s schedule provides a combination of challenging opponents and games that the team sees as very winnable.

Last year, the team reached the second round of the CIAC tournament, losing to Rocky Hill after beating cross-town rivals Jonathan Law in the first round.

This year, the girls aim to beat their ending to last season, hoping to reach much further.

Manciero adds, “We have a very strong group of returners who are adapting very well to the new coaching style and our offensive philosophy, so I’m excited to see how much they grow and how far they can take this season.”

As with any high school season, this year is particularly important to the senior class, many of whom have been playing basketball since their freshman year.

There are seven seniors this year, with Faith Doyle, Gracie Brooks, and Ava Deitelbaum being selected as captain.

Their next game is home today against West Haven at 6:00 PM.