By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
COVID has been a thorn in the side of coaches, players and administrators hindering the ability of many high school teams to practice and play, and despite the adversities effecting athletic programs in the area, the Franklin Quakers girls’ basketball team is off to a positive start this season.
The season has been both unique and different to say the least. Franklin is one of the schools in the Seattle School District that has been stricken with a high percentage of infections, so keeping the team healthy and ready to play has been a challenge.
“This season has been up and down,” says Tavar Proctor, who is in his fifth year as head coach for Franklin. “With COVID and injuries we are doing alright.
With all the uncertainly related to playing games, having practice and students attending school, Proctor says that he takes the season one day at time. With a normal schedule of 20-game season, the Quakers have only been able to play eight games as of last Friday due to COVID infections, game cancellations and quarantines. But from Proctor’s perspective they’ve had an optimistic first half the season as they came out of the winter break with a record of 4-2 and are currently in second place in the Metro League’s Valley Division right behind Garfield.
Since the winter break, the Quakers had only one practice after a 2-week quarantine before their game on January 12 against Seattle Prep, which ended in a 68-31 loss. But despite only suiting up six players against Roosevelt, Franklin was able to bounce back from the loss and post a 65-57 win over Roosevelt last Friday.
“Having a layoff hurt us, but we don’t make excuses,” says Proctor. “If we get a chance to play, we go and play.”
According to Proctor, staying motivated during an unpredictable basketball season like this is the key to success.
Senior forward Mya Jones has every right to be frustrated, but instead she focuses on the task at hand.
“The things that keep me motivated is my love of basketball,” says Jones. “That and my coaches and family.”
Jones, who is averaging 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists per game, admits that unlike any other season in career, 2021 has been a bit of a struggle due to COVID.
“Playing basketball and being in a pandemic is pretty challenging,” says Jones. “But I just do the small things outside of practice. Workouts, going to outside parks and getting shots in or going for runs. It’s not really a lot I can do, but I will do my best.”
Having watched the development of Jones since the 8th grade, Proctor and his staff speak highly of her drive, talents and future potential.
“Even with all that is going on, Jones is a leader and a talented leader at that,” says Proctor. “She’s got heart, she works hard, shoots the basketball real well, gets to the basketball, has great post moves and she definitely has college potential. She is as good as she wants to be.”
With a winning record at this point of the season, Proctor is looking to capitalize on the momentum and motivate his player to remain optimistic about their season. The Quakers have a very talented team and are looking to make a splash in both the Metro League and state tournaments.
“I think the key to motivating my players is to remain optimistic, because during these times it can be difficult,” says Proctor. “Kids do not know if they’re going to be able to play, and with them not being in class because we [recently] went [to remote learning], just trying to keep some type of structure in their lives as best we can has been a key for us and just trying to stay positive.”
The team, as a whole, is very young so there is a tremendous upside to their future. Jones realizes this and does her best to provide the leadership necessary to bring the best out of her young teammates.
“The team we have this year is about learning and bonding,” says Jones. “We have a lot of incoming freshmen and sophomores, and we haven’t had the opportunity to play a lot together because of the environment. So, they are still getting the hang of everything. But I know we have potential and know we have the IQ and when we come together, I know we can have the dream team we want.”
Jones contends that the team is hardworking and loves to win, and they work collectively to bring those attributes to every game.
“I and my team love to win,” says Jones. “We are hardworking and competitive. I consider myself a team player by nature, I know that if one of my teammates bricks, you can bet that I am going to pass the ball right back to that player giving them another opportunity to score.”
“My team is good and as long as we work on the little things, we will be alright,” continued Jones. “It’s always the little things that can get us off our game, but we are steadily working through them.”
With all that is going on in the world of these young ladies, Proctor and his coaching staff are doing all they can to make life just a little bit easier for his players. From keeping them safe from COVID, to providing guidance and mentorship, to even providing the necessities, like shoes, gear and even for some a daily meal, coaching in today’s environment is a lot more than just X’s and O’s.”
“Everybody chips in from the coaching staff to make sure all of our players have what they need to be successful,” says Proctor. “It’s not just me, its our whole coaching staff that pitches in to help our young ladies in making sure they know that this is not just a team but a family.”
