LYNN — Kaitlyn Wechsler is anxious to continue what she and the Lynn Tech girls basketball team accomplished last season.
And make no mistake about it. The accomplishment goes further than the 10 games the Tigers won and the tournament game they played.
“It was definitely very satisfying,” Wechsler said on the eve of tryouts for this year’s team. “It was nice for me to show the girls that what I’ve been saying all along comes true.
“For three years, the girls have worked their butts off and it wasn’t translating into wins. But to stick with me, and then have the season we had last year, it was really nice.”
Wechsler, in her fifth season, has told her girls since Day 1 that “winning doesn’t just happen just by showing up at games.
“You need to be at every practice,” she said. “You need to be there on Saturdays for practice. There are no days off. That’s what you have to do in order to win.
“You have to stay positive with each other,” she said. “Sometimes, it takes losing games to learn and to grow. And we did that for sure. But that’s part of the commitment.”
Prior to Wechsler’s tenure, the Tigers struggled. Two years into it, the decision was made (she doesn’t know by whom, just that it wasn’t her who made it) that another team would fill the bill in the Lynn Invitational Tournament.
“At some point, we’d love to get back in it,” she says. “But until then, we have to play our schedule. Our schedule this year is pretty challenging.”
At least six of the returning players have some idea how to respond to challenges. Last year, all Wechsler wanted was to see her team win 10 games and make the tournament. In the last week of the season, the Tigers had to take three out of four to achieve that goal.
They did.
“That was a lot of pressure for those used to winning,” she said. “Our girls handled it well. In our last game against Chelsea, we put ourselves in a position for it to mean something. And they did it.
“Once they realized that they knew what it took to win, we ran with that,” she said. “We had a different mindset. Our working hard means something now. It’s translating into wins.”
It has been a historic autumn at Lynn Tech, with the football team having the best season in school history. A win Thursday at Nashoba Valley Tech would give the Tigers a 12-win season, and the state vocational championship. Wechsler is a big fan.
“We hope to go out and support them,” she said. “Two of our players are on that team.”
One of them is Alondra Sanchez. She’s our bigtime player. We looked to her a lot last year when she was a freshman.”
The other one is Avi Fanini, who saw some action on the court last season.
“Coach (James) Runner is amazing,” she said. “He’s been in the gym for some of my practices, and he offers me support, telling me I’m doing the right thing.
“Our players need the structure, they need the hard lessons,” she says. “Coach Runner is doing it for the boys.”
Today, when tryouts begin, Wechsler hopes to see 40 players on the court. That’s how many have signed up. And, she says, the players are ready.
“They’re excited to continue what program accomplished,” she said. “It was the first time in eight or 10 years that we made the tournament. They’re excited to be a part of that. We hope to continue it and make it a tradition at Tech.”
