Lansing girls basketball continues teamwork-driven rebuild

The Lansing girls basketball team has a proud history, highlighted by the 2001 state championship. But the Bobcats have had more downs than ups in recent memory, having not qualified for the postseason since 2017. This season, the Bobcats aim to keep building back up—and ultimately restore their past glory—under a new head coach.

Greg Wilder is in his first season leading the Bobcats, and it’s already gotten off to a winning start. Lansing took down Newfield 49-38 on December 4. The statistic that Wilder emphasized was their 18 assists. That number is a microcosm of what he wants this team’s foundation to be built upon: teamwork. It’s a philosophy that’s shared not just by Wilder and assistant/junior varsity coach Jake Fusilli, but also throughout the entire roster.

“When we met individually with every single player, 18 of the 23 players said the word ‘support’ or ‘positive teamwork’,” Wilder said. “18 out of 23 of these student-athletes who had never had these conversations, never set goals in terms of basketball, said that to us. Having that align with our basic principle of teamwork in support of each other was perfect. It’s really about the support of each other. It’s about challenging each other, supporting each other, and setting realistic expectations of each other.”

The focus on support has resonated with everybody on the team, namely their two foreign exchange students, Seeta Hidari (from Germany) and Isabella Rosas Mendez Leon (from Mexico). According to Wilder, even though they were only on the court for a few minutes, they were the two loudest players on the bench cheering on their team. They certainly know what it takes to be a great teammate.

“It’s incredibly important to support each other as a team and to talk,” Hidari said. “Misunderstandings often arise because you might use the wrong tone. I try to treat my girls the way that I want them to treat me, and that definitely includes support.”

“[It’s] definitely [about] support and pulling out the leadership skills when it’s needed,” Rosas Mendez Leon said. “We know that competition is important but we also know how to recognize, celebrate and be happy for each other.”

As Wilder mentioned earlier, the combined junior varsity and varsity programs make up 23 student-athletes. That’s a vast increase from last season’s total of 14. While Wilder gave credit to the players for going out and recruiting others to grow their roster size, junior Leilani Drake praised the coaching staff for helping the team grow as basketball players.

“The program has changed drastically,” Drake said. “Our coach has put in loads of time to make sure we are learning new skills and pushing us in practice every day. Even though we have more girls, we have a stronger bond. Everyone makes an effort towards the team and our overall confidence is so much higher.”

Drake is one of four returners this season alongside fellow juniors Piper Mason and Marissa Nolan as well as sophomore Izzy Wilder. Along with Hidari and Rosas Mendez Leon, there are four newcomers to the Bobcats who were called up from JV: Jenna Geise, Molly Mingos, Liana Newman, and Nasia Whyte.

Nolan is the lone Bobcat who has earned IAC All-Star honors, making the Second Team in 2023 as a freshman. Along with having high ambitions as an individual, Mason also wants to ensure that everybody is on the same page and become one cohesive unit.

“We’re making sure this season we communicate with each other about every topic and focus on becoming super close within ourselves,” Nolan said. “We want to be the best versions of ourselves for each other, so health care like nutrition and sleep. We also focus on trust and support rather than from shooting and scrimmaging. We showed how much we want to meet our goals in this first game, and it’s only going to continue getting better.”

Mason echoed Nolan’s sentiment in terms of accomplishing what they’ve all set to achieve this season.

“I think that our biggest key to achieving these goals is staying positive and reminding each other that we’re all here for the same reason,” Mason said. “When our team encourages each other and plays as one, we are unstoppable.”

No matter what record the Bobcats end up with, early signs indicate that there will be plenty more fun and enjoyment to be had over the course of the campaign.

“I’ve had a lot of fun at the beginning of this season because I truly think the coaching staff on this team wants what’s best for us to win and have fun,” Izzy Wilder said. “They not only have us focusing on what we can do individually to be better but we also focus on our goals on how to contribute to make this team better. This team’s environment has been one of the best things I’ve ever experienced. I’m having so much fun.”