By Maya Heimes

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Manlius Pebble Hill School has introduced a Girls Modified Basketball team this year coached by Mr.Wright and Mr.Ryan. They are currently 2-0, with wins against Lyncourt and Solvay.

While there have been Varsity Girls Basketball teams in the past, this is the first modified team for girls. The biggest issue facing starting a team, according to Coach Ryan, was finding practice space and time for another winter sport. However, a modified team plays in the second winter session, which has allowed the Athletic Department to start the program.

In total there are nine players with varied levels of experience. Coach Wright stated, “Some of the girls have never played basketball before, and I think three or four of them have some experience playing. The new girls are testing it out and seeing if they like it. So far, after the first week, they all have nothing bad to say about it.”

What will be the future of girls basketball at MPH? There is a lot of discussion on developing more programs when the girls get older, as many players are in eighth grade. Ryan stated, “Now, the obvious next step is to bring in a JV program because we don’t want to stop there. We are not just a K through 8 school, we are a K through 12 school, so we want to be able to have those offerings for our Upper School students.” There may be issues with gym space, but Ryan said they are willing to rent gym time, practice on weekends, and schedule practice at different times of the day to try to create and maintain a program.

The Modified Girls Basketball team is the first in Manlius Pebble Hill history and may bring older girls basketball teams in the future.