Unlike some coaches who brim with unfounded optimism, Greg Grio knows his team will take its fair share of bumps and bruises this season.
But that’s OK with Grio, the first-year Anzar High girls basketball coach who has set realistic goals for his players for the 2014-15 season.
“I told the girls we’re going to be shorter, younger and probably slower than most teams we play,” said Grio, who has coached youth basketball with the city of Gilroy and was an assistant coach for the Gilroy High junior varsity boys team last year. “So that means we’ll have to be tougher, work harder and play better as a unit—that’s the only way we’re going to have success.”
The Hawks have just two seniors on the team, along with six juniors, one sophomore and nine freshmen. Fortunately for Grio, the two seniors—point guard Lynette Weckerle and post Jessica Tidwell—are reliable players who should consistently produce in most areas of the game.
Weckerle sees the floor well, has a pass-first mentality and elevates her teammates’ level of play.
“I trust Lynette to make all the decisions,” Grio said. “She’s a very smart player, and this year will be a good challenge for her.”
Tidwell can play almost every position on the court, but Grio said he’ll use Tidwell on the low block to utilize her post skills.
“Jessica is physical and skilled, can shoot a little bit and post up,” Grio said. “She does a variety of things well, and she brings a lot of toughness and experience to the team. She’ll be one of our players who leads by example.”
Grio expects positive contributions from sophomore guard Eliza Rojas, who is one of the team’s strongest defensive players, and freshman wing-post Skylar Feyffert, who has shown a tremendous work ethic and willingness to learn and develop.
The latter will be key for the entire team. With so many underclassmen, Grio said it’s incumbent that the players focus on individual and team development, and less on wins and losses.
“We’re playing a lot of tough teams in the preseason (non-league), and we’ll see how we come out of it mentally,” Grio said. “If we stick together, trust each other and not get down, I think playing all those tough teams will bode well for us in league. We can come out of the preseason stronger mentally, even if the results don’t show in the form of wins.”
Anzar lost its season-opener to St. Francis Central Coast Catholic 69-9 on Dec. 2, a game Grio said he would like to forget.
“That final score I have to erase from my brain,” he said. “That was a rough one for the girls, but they’ve responded well after that. They’re working even harder and now they understand the intensity level they have to play at if they want to be competitive.”
