This past basketball season has seen vast improvements to both the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams, thanks to the availability of a new court. It is the gymnasium of Most Precious Blood, a Catholic school taken over by the NYC Department of Education. They agreed to override Most Precious Blood’s principal, who wanted to prevent BSGE from using the gymnasium, so it became accessible to the teams on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons. In previous years, both basketball teams had to practice outdoors, weather permitting, and either play their home games in the Long Island City YMCA or in the stadium of the opposing team. Unfortunately for the boys’ team, however, their games were scheduled before the court was acquired, so they could not hold any home games there this season.
Reception to the new court has been extremely positive, from coaches and players alike. Virge Ramos, who coached the girls’ team, said that having the court improved both teams by “allowing them a space to practice during the season, [and] allowing improvements in the quality of game the girls and boys are playing.” He added that the volleyball club, new to the school this year, also benefited from access to the space; this is also the case for the softball team when the weather is too cold to practice outside. Basketball player Makeila Jamison ’17 agreed that it was extremely beneficial, saying that having their own gymnasium to play in “definitely improved the way we are able to play in games” and “really helped a lot of the rookies learn how to play and it helped us play together.” She also commented that most of the team feels the same way. Next year, when both teams are able to play in the new court for all of their home games, who know what sort of improvements may result?
The BACC Rag 