{"id":14448,"date":"2025-11-03T15:03:03","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T20:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=14448"},"modified":"2025-11-06T09:13:47","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T14:13:47","slug":"drive-to-redemption-salem-high-school-varsity-girls-basketball-team-prepares-for-upcoming-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/drive-to-redemption-salem-high-school-varsity-girls-basketball-team-prepares-for-upcoming-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Drive to redemption: Salem High School varsity girls’ basketball team prepares for upcoming season"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Senior guard Imani Johnson, senior forward Alaya Monroe-Sutton, and senior guard Briseis Estrada (left to right) participating in a mock interview. Monroe-Sutton transferred from Deep Creek and already has offers piling up, while Johnson and Estrada continue to connect with recruiters for opportunities. All three of these players desire to play at the collegiate level. (Photo by: T. Adams)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Lily Check (Salem High School)<\/p>\n

After falling to Princess Anne in the semifinal round of the Class 5 Region A tournament last season, the Salem High School varsity girls\u2019 basketball team, led by head coach Jason Clark, is training hard to jump back onto the court to accomplish even more than they did in past seasons. With the departure of alumna Denniyah Tanner to play at the collegiate level, the team remains focused and is hungry to prove itself.<\/p>\n

Prior to last season\u2019s playoff tournament, the team finished the regular season with a 14-7 record, racking up wins against region rivals Landstown, Green Run, and Bayside. As they open the upcoming season with an away game against Kempsville, the players\u2019 mindsets have shifted toward growth and discipline and moved away from a fixed outlook.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have grown a lot over this past year,\u201d said senior guard Briseis Estrada, a fourth-year returner and 2024 Second Team All-Region honoree. \u201cI have gained a lot more confidence in myself, and I have changed as a player offensively. I have been attacking more and a lot more aggressive. I am a better offensive player. You need to have confidence in order to have the ability to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Senior guard Briseis Estrada posing for a headshot. Estrada, a fourth-year returner, was a 2024 Second Team All-Region honoree and hopes to pursue business with experience in fashion marketing. She has an offer from Virginia Wesleyan University. (Photo by: T. Adams)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Similar to Estrada, the majority of the team gives credit to their family members and coaches for this change in perspective. Senior guard Harmoni Johnson\u2019s motivation is her \u201csiblings, but mostly her sister.\u201d<\/p>\n

For senior guard Imani Johnson, her motivation boils down to teamwork and setting a good example. \u201cI look forward to working as a team, motivating my teammates, being a leader, being bright on and off the court, and being a role model for those who want to play,\u201d said Imani Johnson.<\/p>\n

Aside from family, the coaching staff, consisting of Clark, assistant coach Ronald Booth, and general manager Markus Mitchell, have positively impacted the team\u2019s development by setting up visits with local trainers, professionals, and college coaches to help them connect with recruiters. Women\u2019s basketball programs at East Carolina University, Old Dominion University, Morgan State University, and Chowan University have already come to watch practices.<\/p>\n

While many of the girls have aspirations to play college basketball, many note that school is their top priority. Estrada, for instance, wants to focus on school to \u201cmajor in business and start [her] own fashion marketing business\u201d later in life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I do not get my school work done, [then] I do not train,\u201d said Imani Johnson, another fourth-year returner. \u201cSchool comes first, and I let Coach know if I can\u2019t make it to practice. If I can\u2019t make it, then I won\u2019t make it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harmoni Johnson, similar to Imani Johnson, adds that time management is crucial to balancing school with basketball, which she explains is one of the most demanding mental sports due to the requirement of emotional focus to handle pressure.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you establish a schedule and you are working on your time management, it helps,\u201d said Harmoni Johnson. \u201cTime management has to be on point. You have schoolwork, then practice, then homework.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from school and basketball, the girls emphasize that a large part of their team dynamic revolves around the leadership of upperclassmen and the love, friendship, and family that Clark cultivates through team bonding. Senior forward Alaya Monroe-Sutton, a transfer from Deep Creek High School, has already established a close connection with the team by \u201cgetting something to eat with them,\u201d for example.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Senior Alaya Monroe-Sutton patting her teammates on the back when discussing her aspirations for the season. Last season, Monroe-Sutton averaged 11 points, 1.7 assists, and 8.2 rebounds per game. \u201cMy only goal is to win the championship,\u201d said Monroe-Sutton. (Photo by: T. Adams)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cMy teammates are my heart,\u201d said sophomore guard Brittyn Seaton. \u201cI love them, and I have built unique relationships with every single one of them. I appreciate them so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the majority of the team, basketball is more than a sport: it is a lifestyle, one that players can take away lifelong friendships and lessons from. When asked about what she will take away from her time on the team, sophomore guard Solest Jones didn\u2019t mention the pristine uniforms or countless early morning practices. Instead, she mentioned the concept of accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI learn to take accountability, and when you have challenges, you need to try your best to push through and keep working to face that challenge,\u201d said Jones. \u201cEspecially me being a smaller athlete, I have a bigger challenge than most athletes. Being small may hinder me from being looked at as a good athlete. My teammates show me love, even though they know I am the smallest one out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

To witness the results of the team\u2019s consistent preparations and their revitalized mentality in action, come out to their season opener on Dec. 2 at Kempsville, or come to their home opener on Dec. 12 versus Bayside. Tickets will be available to purchase on GoFan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Lily Check (Salem High School) After falling to Princess Anne in the semifinal round of the Class 5 Region A tournament last season, the Salem High School varsity girls\u2019 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":14455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[225],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14448"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14508,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14448\/revisions\/14508"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}