Team bonding is important within the basketball community, and Stevenson’s girls’ basketball team is well aware of this. Team bonding is something that is vital to the team’s efficiency on the court for the moral of the players. The activities that the teams themselves do vary, but often they are passed down from their predecessors.
Things that may be inherited could be things like parties, meals out, and photoshoots. The final of which, as coach John Nemens mentions, is something the girls participate in through their senior night.
“A tradition that carries on from previous years is senior night, the girls get t-shirts made, they get recognized for their accomplishments and receive framed jerseys with their pictures,” Nemens said.
This event is something that allows the players to immortalize their career and view their accomplishments. However, not everything has to be so important to be fun, the team has gone to places like a Pistons game, an escape room with the team, having conversations that last for hours covering many different topics, having dinners where everyone is sitting down eating good food and having lots of laughs. Hannah Tamou ’25 says that something else they partake in is hosting team dinners.
“Every home game, a player from the varsity team hosts a team dinner. This event helps with bonding between the girls on the team,” Tamou said. “All we do is chill and eat and play different games together as our chemistry increases. it’s just a fun environment to be a part of.”
Team bonding and traditions are used by this team for more than just fun, as Allie Szalkiewicz ’25 thinks that it’s an opportunity to better the teams’ skills, including the growth of their emotional connection.
“Not only do we still have the opportunity to better ourselves skill wise at practice or games, but the most growth comes from the emotional connection between the players,” Szalkiewicz said. “We learn how everyone is as a person and player, which helps us understand how others will play and increases team chemistry.”
