RallyNorth.net

Swampscott Girls Basketball Preview

Last year's record: 21-2 (lost to Pentucket, 50-40, in Division 3 North semifinals)

Coach: Jack Hughes (6th season)

Key returnees: Tara Nimkar, Jr. F; Allie Beaulieu, Jr. F; Marissa Gambale, Jr. G.

Key departures: Gwen Luke, Tara Driscoll, McKinley Tennant, Steph Miller.

Strengths: Team athleticism. Nimkar and Beaulieu have been contributing members of the Big Blue since freshman year and they are the leaders of a very athletic team.

Concerns: Varsity inexperience. Three of Swampscott's four graduating seniors (Luke, Driscoll, and Tennant) are currently playing basketball in college, and each logged a lot of minutes over the years, which kept many of Swampscott's current players either on the bench or playing at a lower level.

Coach's outlook: "I think we'll be a tough, physical team. The kids play real hard. We'll be setting goals, but I don't even know what they are right now. There is a lot expected of them (by other teams in the league) and that's kind of nice. We've won a lot of games over the last four or five years and now teams are certainly looking (to play) us. That's a nice challenge."