The tone around Tabor girls basketball feels a lot different from last season, even though its program makeup didn't change much on paper.
Only three players graduated from last year's NEPSAC AAA semifinalists — but they were three stars in Kaelyn Carroll, Ava Black and Olivia Rodrigues. There's also a new head coach in Lydia Caputi, who simply switched roles with longtime leader and current assistant Will Becker. Otherwise, the rest of the roster is back with no significant transfer additions.
The difference is how Caputi has approached the season. Players say they've spent more time in the gym and outside the gym together than ever before. They say Caputi has placed heavy emphasis on respect and culture-building, and Caputi says she's focused on open communication and honesty. That includes players knowing their limits in preseason training sessions.
"These girls, because they're high-level players, they feel this obligation to train all the time. And I've tried to reframe that this is a 'get-to,' not a 'have-to,'" she said. "Any opportunity that you have to get into the gym this fall and be with each other on the court is a great one, but it is not an obligation. You are helping your team by not showing up to a training session if you know that you are tired and a little bit burnt out and would benefit from rest. That is just as powerful as going to that training session. (We're) reframing that — your wellbeing as a person is so much more important than your performance on-court, so that we are all seeing each other as people before basketball players."
Here's how Tabor is approaching this winter under Caputi's watch.
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