Lady Bucs Ready to Scale New Heights

     Everyone else knows them as the Bucs, but head coach Jill Fischman looks at the players on her Belleville girls basketball team and sees, well, mountain climbers.

            Yes, mountain climbers.

            "Every day we are going to take baby steps forward, and hopefully we'll never come to a place where we've reached a plateau and hopefully we'll never come to a valley that is too low," explained Fischman after an intrasquad scrimmage on Tuesday afternoon. "It's a big mountain, but I've got great kids."

            Fischman's Bucs enjoyed a successful season a year ago. The team went 8-12 and qualified for the NJSIAA state tournament – the playoff appearance was believed to be the program's first in more than two decades. The team eventually fell to Warren Hills, 59-42, in the first round of the North Jersey Section 2, Group III tourney.

            But, three of last year's starters have graduated. That includes top scorers Nicole Velardi and Raquel Pichardo.

            Fischman won't call this season a rebuilding year. She said this year's team has the ability to build off what came before it. But she also readily admits she's got a young team on the court this winter.

            "We can take what we learned from last year and what we implemented, and we can grow on it," said Fischman. "I think we can be competitive every night."

            The key for the Bucs – like many teams – is simply to continue to get better as the season progresses. Fischman said she and her coaching staff have been working with the recreation department and youth leagues to "bridge the gap" between the high school team and the youth programs in towns. The goal has been to instill greater basketball knowledge and a better understanding of the fundamentals of the game in the players at a younger age. The BHS head coach said she is starting to see the fruits of that labor in this year's freshman class.

            The leader of this year's team should be forward Jessica Benacquista, an athletic senior who expects to play softball at Bryant University. She's the lone senior on the squad. The rest of the starting lineup isn't yet set in stone, but expect to see junior guard Vanessa Gomez and sophomore forward Chassity Sousa play key roles.

            "We are in a learning process, but the good thing is we have a good group of girls," said Fischman. "They are like sponges – they soak up everything. They all want to learn. They all work hard everyday. In some ways, it's a dream come true for a coach.

            "There might be some games where we take our licks, and there will be some games when we can give our licks," added the Bucs' third-year head coach. "And there's the majority of the games where you step on the floor and if you play well, you can win."

            Belleville, which scrimmaged Parsippany Hills last week, is expected to scrimmage St. Vincent Academy this afternoon in the final preseason tuneup. The team opens its regular season at home on Friday at 7 p.m. against Livingston. Fischman is hoping fans will turn out for the Friday night season opener.

            Fischman said she hasn't set specific goals for her team this season. Rather, she just wants her players to continue to work hard and play consistently – meaning avoid high peaks and low valleys. If they can do that, successes will come, she said.

            "It's about getting better," she said. "We want them to continue to come into the gym everyday and work. They know everyday they come in here and take what we learned and go one step up."

            Like mountain climbers.