The Clarke Central High School girls basketball team warms up during after school practice in the Competition Gym on Nov. 5. According to sophomore girls basketball player Taylor Sims, a good relationship between coaches and players creates a healthy space for everyone. “(The coaches) really understand when you’re going through things, and I like that about them,” Sims said. Photo by Aza Khan
The CCHS girls basketball team is preparing for their first game against Oconee County High School on Nov. 16 while adjusting to new assistant head coach Cherrelle Pullen-Pass.
The Clarke Central High School girls basketball team has their first game of the 2021-22 season on Nov. 16 against Oconee County High School.
With the addition of new assistant girls basketball coach Cherrelle Pullen-Pass, the team has been preparing since the beginning of the basketball season on Oct. 25, and have waited to split into varsity and JV teams. Pullen-Pass and head girls basketball coach Carla Johnson have been focusing on getting the players back in shape.
“We’ve gotten the girls on the track doing time trials for conditioning purposes and we’ve started in the gym working on a lot of fundamentals, starting back to the basics,” Pullen-Pass said. “Just getting them into the concept of what basketball is, the ins and outs. So that’s what we’ve been doing so far.”
According to sophomore girls basketball player Taylor Sims, the conditioning has helped her get ready for the season.
“As of now, we’re conditioning for the most part, and getting the feel back,” Sims said. “I’m starting to feel like my old self. We haven’t really started any plays (but) I feel like we’re pretty prepared.”
“You need other teammates, not just coaches to redirect one another. That’s how you build teamwork. That’s how you build family. That’s how you hold one another accountable.”
— Cherrelle Pullen-Pass,
New assistant girls basketball coach
Pullen-Pass has been working to build healthy relationships amongst the girls and create the strong foundation that both players and coaches need to be successful throughout the season.
“You need other teammates, not just coaches to redirect one another. That’s how you build teamwork. That’s how you build family. That’s how you hold one another accountable,” Pullen-Pass said. “I don’t just want to say that’s solely a coach’s responsibility. I think the girls have to know they (need to) depend on one another, (they’ve) got to find ways to uplift and motivate one another.”
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