The Coronado High School girls basketball team is off to a hot start for their 2024-2025 campaign, having ripped off seven straight wins to begin the year. They have already doubled their win total from a year ago, a season in which they finished 3-14, and John Coolidge, the head coach, says the team’s goal goes beyond the regular season.
“This year’s team is very young: three seniors, two sophomores, and nine freshmen,” Coolidge said, “Their goal is to do well in league and make the playoffs.”
The team’s youth is not the only thing that sets this squad apart from your typical roster. Coolidge said that many of this year’s players play additional sports, something that he said has not happened in a while.
“We have softball players, lacrosse players and volleyball players — they are all good athletes,” Coolidge said. “Team focus in practice is to do the basic things to get better every day and apply that to games. We try to coach and teach them, we challenge them as players every day and we believe in them so they will learn to believe themselves and each other.”
So far so good for Coolidge and this methodology, as the Islanders have outscored their last three opponents with a combined score of 147-80. Coolidge said he and the coaching staff reinforce the importance of hustle and fundamentals on defense, and it seems to have paid off.
“We as coaches tell the girls that defense is technique and effort — you can not take any plays off on defense,” Coolidge said. He explained that although they are young and are bound to make mistakes, the coaching staff reminds them to move on and worry about the next play.
Standout players on this defensively-focused team include senior and four year starter Selena Herrera (averaging 12.2 points per game and, three steals per game this year) and first year senior Alyssa McWilliams (10 steals and one block total this season). Herrera was the team’s MVP last season, while McWilliams brings a defensive edge to every game, Coolidge said.
The Islanders will head into winter break still undefeated and their next bout is with Madison High School on Jan. 8.
