Inside the Lockport Girls Basketball Team: The 2022-23 season

Excitement filled the room when I talked to some of the players on the Lockport Girls Basketball Team; I was eager to speak to them because I knew they would have a lot to say about their season. Growth and the importance of teamwork were the main topics of this conversation, which are vital for any team sport.

Last season the girls went 15-15, and they all expressed that it was a time of learning for them. Kaya Osinski and Patricija Tamasauskas, both seniors this year and valuable guards, were placed on varsity last year.

"It was a big thing for both of us," Osinski explained. She proudly smiled as she pointed out her teammate. "Patricija really rose to the occasion and was a key player."

Addison Foster, another senior and point guard, also gave her teammates a shoutout. "It was great to watch them [Osinski and Tamasauskas] last year play on varsity. They have grown so much on and off the court. I'm so proud of them."

It is striking how much these teammates acknowledge each other and their successes. Last year was a season of growth for everyone involved. Now, this season another change entered the equation; that change was a new coach joining the program.
Coach Darien Jacobs received nothing but praise during this interview. Not only did the girls acknowledge their teammates, but they also complimented the coaching.

"He brought us all together and helped us all fall in love with the sport again," Osinski explained. "He listens to our ideas and doesn't push them away,"

Tamasauskas added. "It's everyone's team and not just the coaches' team, which is really important." Foster finished the praises by telling me, "He hears everything that you want to say. He is also huge about confidence and getting to know you. This is different for us, and we are really happy about it."

Coach Jacobs pushed all the athletes in a new and improved direction during a rough start of the season. Tamasauskas told me, "We went through a lot of adversity since a lot of people left for college visits, and some were sick." Osinski and Tamasauskas turned their heads toward Foster, who fell ill for the first bit of the season. "But we are definitely caught up and are ready for the tough competition for the rest of the season."

Foster, who is now on varsity for the first time, was eager to share her experience. "People usually take that transition from JV to Varsity lightly. Just being on varsity is very different. We had a bit of a rough start, and things can still get difficult, but we are working together and are on the same page." Osinski expressed those same ideas to me. "We took that adversity and are getting better at communicating and our defense, offense, and making baskets. But this year, we are stronger."

The girls described the team as a family. The relationships these girls formed prove that a team can be more than just a group of players.

Tamasauskas was happy to add, "We are so close because we are also friends outside of basketball. So it is easy to talk together." Both Osinski and Foster help bring the team together, and they are always hyping up everyone. No one is left behind."

Foster added that "We encourage hangouts outside of practices too. A lot of teams don't push for that, but we really preach that kind of stuff." This family atmosphere translates to the court in how the team executes plays and works together during games.

The girls are eager for the remainder of the season. Osinski explained, "This is our senior year, and we want to go out with a bang. We want to make our new coaching staff proud and our teammates proud. We just want to keep up that intensity; we will be thrown with a lot of adversity these next few games. But we just need to keep pushing each other and encouraging each other."

Tamasaukas put it very bluntly. "I just want to win games. Every team wants to win." Although she stated her main goal, Tamasaukas added something that also encourages her this season. "I just want to set a good example for everyone; I want to be that example for the younger grades and even the middle schoolers. I just want people to look up to us not only as players but as people too."

Foster agreed with her teammate. "I was sick for a lot of the beginning of the season, but I was still supporting my team and going to practices. And I saw the team practicing and working hard; yeah, we do have a busy and tough schedule coming up, but we use that as motivation. We have nothing to lose; why not give it our all?"

These girls are not only great athletes but also great people. I could tell this immediately from how the girls compliment each other, their teammates, and their coaches. They are thankful for not just the victories but for the journey too. Lockport is rooting for the Girls' Basketball program throughout the remainder of the 22-23 season.