Freshman-dominated lineup getting crash course in varsity basketball for Gateway girls

By: Andrew John
Sunday, January 5, 2025 | 11:01 AM

With a roster composed mostly of freshmen, the Gateway girls basketball program is in the middle of some growing pains, but the Gators are developing the necessary building blocks for a potentially bright future.

Gateway (0-6, 0-2) has sometimes started three freshmen and has four freshmen playing significant minutes this season.

The Gators have been outscored on average 60-26 this season. Gateway had its most points in its season opener against Clairton in a 56-34 loss at the Play 4 Mae Tournament at Woodland Hills on Nov. 30.

“It’s a work in progress,” Gateway coach Curtis Williams said. “We are really young and inexperienced. We’ve got 17 players and 10 are freshmen. Those freshmen are playing significant minutes and roles.

“Our biggest challenge is the youth and inexperience and playing at a varsity level. The girls have a really good attitude, and they know if they keep working, the wins will come. I think we are doing well, but it’s not necessarily reflected in our record just yet, but all signs are pointing up.”

The four freshmen who’ve seen significant minutes this season are guard/forwards Lola Weiss and Ashley Griffith, guard Lily Roney and forward Heaven Brooks.

“It’s just putting them in different situations to see how they handle the situation and how they grow from it instead of babying them along,” Williams said. “Unfortunately, we have to expedite their learning curve. We are getting them a lot of experience and exposure early and I think it’s helping.”

Williams is encouraged by what the freshmen are experiencing at the junior varsity level, but the group is still adjusting to the speed and physicality the varsity game entails.

“We’re having success at the JV level when they are playing JV, but our challenge is playing at the varsity level where it’s a little bit faster, a little bit aggressive and a little bit more physical, and they are adapting to that,” Williams said.

Senior guard Rachel Szymanski, the Gators leading scorer, has tried to do her part as team captain to help Gateway get back to its winning ways. Szymanski has made sure the freshmen group feels welcomed on the team and offers advice when wanted, while staying positive even though the results on the scoreboard aren’t in Gateway’s favor.

“The underclassmen are a very talented group of girls. I believe they have a very bright future. I think if we can get them to find their roles in the varsity lineup, I think that’s going to help us have success,” Szymanski said.

“I think they each have a lot to offer to the team. Once we can get them to be confident in their roles, I think we will start having success as a team.”

Williams has tried to shift the team’s focus onto the little things in order to help with the growth of the freshmen class.

“We are working on the little things like learning how to win one quarter of a game as opposed to winning the whole game. I think the big thing is their willingness to learn and get better. They aren’t getting down being 0-6,” Williams said.

“We are trying to reestablish that winning culture we used to have a few years ago. I think this is the group that can do it. They get along. They listen. We will start getting some wins really soon as they learn how to win.”

Tags: Gateway