Over the offseason, three new coaches—Joshua Price, Michael Price and Amanda Frey—were selected to lead the girls basketball program.
Varsity head coach Joshua Price said he is a Bexley alumnus who had previously coached with the Bexley basketball program at a variety of levels.
“I really enjoy building relationships with other people, especially the youth,” he explained. “I chose basketball as a vehicle to build those relationships and to help people achieve their highest potential.
“I find it really rewarding to work with players, see their growth, work with teams and see them come together. It brings me good energy and joy in my life to be able to work with young, energetic people.”
This season, Price said he decided to emphasize individual improvement by making sure the players are physically and mentally ready for what each day brings. He also wants to work on the players’ support for one another, he added.
“The girls here are working really hard and want to be here,” Price said.
The team has a desire to improve, which shows the effort they put in and attitude they have, he explained.
Michael Price, also a Bexley alumnus, joined the team as a varsity assistant coach. He is also making sure the girls’ main focus on the court is improvement in all aspects of the game, particularly consistency, Michael added.
“I enjoy watching the players improve and get better,” Michael said. “It’s always nice to see when a light bulb goes off on a concept, play or read.”
He had not coached with the girls’ team prior to this season, and he has had to learn about his
players, he said.
“It’s been challenging to get to know the girls individually and get to know their strengths and
weaknesses,” Michael explained.
He is excited about the season and the experience of coaching the team, and he has enjoyed getting to know the players thus far, he added.
Joshua Price said the main focus for the team is not necessarily winning but rather honing their skills.
“Our biggest goal right now is come January, early February, we are a very different, much
improved team than we are right now,” he explained. “Our main goal is to focus on the day in and day out effort and improvement.”
The junior varsity and freshman programs experienced a change as well: a 2018 Bexley
graduate, Amanda Frey, joined as the head coach of the junior varsity B team and the assistant coach of the junior varsity team this season.
Frey said she played under Coach Joshua Price while she was a student at Bexley. Since the previous junior varsity coach had schedule conflicts, Frey took on the role late in the
preseason, she explained.
“When Coach [Joshua] Price reached out to me about the opportunity, I saw it as a chance to give back,” Frey said.
She explained she hadn’t coached basketball before, but so far her favorite parts of coach-
ing have been getting to know the girls and seeing their work pay off.
“It’s rewarding when you teach someone a skill, and you see them use it in a game or even just
a scrimmage,” Frey said. She added she has enjoyed mentoring the girls.
“I really like being able to support them, teach them skills and help them get better every day,” Frey said.
Similar to the varsity team, the main goal of the junior varsity team this season is to see improvement throughout the season, Frey said.
“Obviously a lot of wins would be great, but more than anything, I want the girls to really
improve on their basketball skills and build their relationships with their teammates,” she explained. “Coming together as a team, that’s more important to me than any- thing.”
Ruthie Gravelle, a sophomore on the varsity team, explained much of the environment has
stayed the same. However, the team has started to come together since the arrival of the new coaches, she added.
“We’re learning to work together a lot better and work as a team to do what we want to do,” Gravelle said.
She explained the team is enthusiastic about the new coaches and the upcoming season.
“I think everyone’s really excited, and we’re all looking forward to having a really great season,” she said. “They are definitely very good at what they do.”
