If one person’s in, they’re all in it together, says Bothell High girls basketball coach Jessika Lee.
Another effective motto that matches well with the “I’m in” philosophy is “Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?” Lee and her assistant coach Amy Flinn recently discovered these words of wisdom and brought them to the table in hopes of inspiring their players to rebound from last season’s 2-18 record.
“We worked over the summer, improving a lot of things with our game as a team and as individuals,” Lee said. “We’re very unselfish, so everybody gets a little piece of the action on the court. I think we all have a lot more expectations of ourselves this year, more confidence going out there and with more will and hunger to win.”
With senior team captains Nyah Campbell and Kareena Dahl at the helm, it’s all about positive energy, enthusiasm — and a little bit of humor to push things in the right direction. So far, the Cougars are 0-1 in league and 1-3 overall heading into tonight’s 6 p.m. game at Ballard. Bothell tipped off its season with a 55-51 nonleague win over King’s on Nov. 30.
Dahl, a 5-foot-9 wing, leads the Cougars with an average of 10.5 points per game, including a season-high 13 in Monday night’s 65-49 loss to Redmond. At 5-11, post Campbell is averaging 7.5 points a game and 6-foot post Haley Dusenberry has knocked down an average of eight points a game. Junior point guard Sarah Garinger can move the ball well, Lee said, and scored 10 points against King’s.
Campbell says the Cougars have the desire to succeed, adding that important factors are “having each other’s backs and believing in each other.”
Added Dahl: “We’ve always worked really hard and we’ve never given up, even if we go through a bad couple plays — we always keep persevering. I think we really need to focus on making smart decisions on the court and keep playing hard — all out on offense and defense.”
Coaches Lee and Flinn (also the junior-varsity coach) know a little something about playing offense and defense to the hilt. Both women graduated from Meadowdale High in 1996 and helped lead their team to three state appearances in four years, including a No. 1 ranking for part of their senior year. Lee still plays ball in women’s and co-ed leagues.
What did Lee learn from those Meadowdale days that she wants her Cougars to possess?
“Team unity and you have to trust (each other),” she said. “We always came prepared, always showed respect, we just always worked hard and had a positive attitude.”
Dahl said the girls get the message loud and clear.
“She’s just really intense and always wants us to play really hard and do our best and always be on top of things, which is good, because we always need to focus,” Dahl said of Lee.
Aside from playing summer and fall ball together, Campbell said the girls have bonded over team dinners and plan to have a movie night and participate in community volunteer activities like food drives and trailer-park clean-ups.
As far as movies go, the girls say basketball flick “Coach Carter” with Samuel L. Jackson or football’s “Remember the Titans” with Denzel Washington could be on tap. Several players eventually agree that a funny Adam Sandler film could do the trick. “Something to lift your spirit,” Dahl concluded as the players began to file toward the locker room to prepare for that night’s game against Redmond.
