A Staffing Switch-Up: How a new coach will affect the girls’ basketball season

“Ding!” 

A notification went off during fourth hour last Friday with the news that girls’ basketball coach Lauren Lawrence had decided to stop coaching, as she will be having a baby during the season. Word travelled quickly as one of the players had spread the news to their team’s group chat. 

Reese Althouse has been playing as a guard for Lawrence’s girls’ varsity basketball team since freshman year.

“[The news] was a little shocking after it being so close to this season, because we start in about a month and a half,” Althouse said.

Even though Althouse knows this staffing change will certainly be a transition, especially during senior year, she is up for it and is looking forward to working with her new coach, Douglas Archer.

Senior Sarah Bingham feels the same way about the transition as well. After playing as center for Lawrence for three years, Bingham was surprised when the unexpected news was announced.

“We were kind of sad to see her go, as I don’t think many people were expecting it,” Bingham said. “But, I think everyone, including myself, respects her decision.”

Bingham is sad to be losing the coach she’s learned from throughout highschool, but she’s looking forward to the new opportunities and perspective that come along with having a new coach.

“I think [Archer] will definitely bring a new dynamic to the team, because he has a different perspective on basketball, as he played as a post player while Lawrence played as a guard,” Bingham said. “I think their mentalities are different because of their different experiences [with basketball].”

Although Bingham is looking forward to the team’s new coach for her final season of basketball, she knows she’ll always remember Lawrence and the impact she had on her and the team.

“After playing club volleyball during my junior year and on, the overlapping basketball and volleyball practices were tiring,” Bingham said. “A lot of the time I’m just super exhausted, and [Lawrence] taught me how to push through that, and that I can do more than I think I can.”

This bitter-sweet transition will undoubtedly be a change for the team, according to Bingham and Althouse but they’re up for the challenge.

“We’re definitely going to miss Coach Lawrence because she’s been around for a long time and it’s all we’re used to, but we’re all really excited for Coach Archer,” Althouse said. “I think everyone is looking forward to seeing what he can do, and I think he can make us better [players].”