Valley Sports Report
SAYRE — Numbers are still low as Sayre girls basketball coach Eileen Sparduti prepares for the 2019-20 season, but the Lady Redskins will bring back its junior varsity program this season.
“We’re starting right where we were last year, at 12,” said Sparduti. “But, we’re hoping we’re going to be able to play JV (games).
“This year, unlike last year, the bulk of our kids are younger. We’re trying figure all that out, and get people into places,” she noted. “We see those JV quarters as developmental because we have older kids who need playing time, and it’s going to be difficult to find that for them in varsity quarters because it will be overwhelming to them.
“We’re trying to look at it not as a JV / varsity team, we’re trying to conceptualize it as ‘we are one team’ We have a huge diversity in skill and experience, and we all have to have a piece in the solution to that.
“Every minute of it is a work in progress,” added Sparduti.
The preseason focus for Sparduti is getting to know her team, which features a lot of new faces.
“Many of these kids are unknowns to me,” she said. “I really don’t know much about the freshmen, and we have some kids playing basketball for the first time.
“I’m just trying to get to know them, and find what skills they have that we can develop to give them a viable role on this team,” noted Sparduti.
“We know that good teams are not made up of five superstars,” she added. “They’re made up of kids with specific roles, and when they’re all hitting on the same night, you win a lot of games. That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”
The Lady Redskins are in action today at Candor in their only preseason scrimmage.
“Their coach is in the same boat because he’s missing a lot of volleyball players,” said Sparduti. “It’ll be good for both of us because we’ll be able to beat up on someone else other than ourselves.
“I’m looking forward to it,” she added. “It’s an opportunity for me to see how some of my veteran players are going to come along because some of them don’t have a lot of varsity experience, and I’ll also get a chance to see our new kids.”
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IN PHOTO 1: Sayre coach Eileen Sparduti.
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