After only winning 25% of its games last season, and losing its key core of leaders, the Dickinson Girls Basketball team is gearing up for a comeback year. But new Head Coach Devan Douglas hopes to revive the team and set some high goals this season.
Ending with a 6-18 record and 5-16 in the conference, the Midgets are up for a challenge. This season could be another tough one for the team as it has to adapt to the loss of four key seniors including guard Peyton Selle and center Audrey Rodakowski.
So far the team is 0-2 with a 69-39 loss loss to Watford City on Dec. 15 followed by a 83-51 loss to Bismarck on Dec. 21. However, Douglas is impressed with her group of hard working girls and five players are returning with varsity experience.
The team has three seniors stepping up to lead the team into the season, including Symone Beld, Sydney Binstock and Paige Balliet. Beld is known to be an excellent three-point shooter. Binstock is the returning point guard and Douglas noted that no one is going to work harder than she will. Balliet, though she’s not as tall as her other teammates, is strong and gets in there “and does all the dirty work,” she added.
“That’s every head coach’s job right now: how are we going to rebuild after last year?” Douglas said. “So I think we need to focus on things we can control. We’re a little small this year and our numbers are a little low so we just need to be disciplined fundamentally. We do play great defense. That's what we’re going to be focusing on especially for the main part of the season is just being fundamentally sound and being great defenders and great rebounders.”
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The adjustment of becoming the new head coach has been great so far for Douglas, and she already has good relationships with some of the players she coached during their freshman year. Now it will be just learning the team as a whole and building onto those relationships.
“Like I said before, I just would like to build a culture of hard work, dedication and gratitude,” she said. “... I’m just looking forward to honestly, number one getting to know these girls and just finding our rhythm as a team and seeing where we fit. We might have to change a couple of things and that’s okay. We’ll just learn as we go and see where it gets us.”
Moving forward, the team hopes to take home wins but also be able to have a long lasting season without any disruptions due to coronavirus restrictions.
“I’m excited. I think everybody is really excited that it’s December and we’re playing basketball,” Douglas said. “... It’s been obviously a long, stressful school year for everybody across the country. Coaches of every sport have so much extra stress added this year. Just getting to the gym, being able to play basketball, to be around my players and in school every day and see kids every day that’s what I’m honestly most looking forward to.”
