WEYMOUTH— There were two new faces patrolling the sidelines at the Weymouth High School gymnasium Thursday night.
Not only was it opening night for girls basketball, it was also the Bay State Conference coaching debut for Needham’s Lindsay Miller and Weymouth’s Leshon Crawford.
While the game marked the start of a new chapter for both coaches, neither are strangers to the local basketball scene. Miller graduated from Westwood in 2004 before playing at Harvard. Crawford, a Rockland native, played football at Curry College.
After two years as the JV coach at Mashpee, Crawford accepted the Weymouth role with the Wildcats coming off a 0-20 season. While it may not seem like the ideal situation, he sees the opportunity as a clean slate.
“I think this year for me, it’s just building that culture back up,” he said. “Anytime you have a winless season, you kind of got to recreate your identity.”
And that identity he says is the “Wildcat Way”. Built on resiliency, Crawford wants to create a team that battles for the full 32 minutes.
“I want to bring back that working class chip on my shoulder,” he said. “Fight for everything. Winning every minute, every second, every quarter, every half. If we start like that and build that as our identity, it looks a lot different.”
Though many of Weymouth’s losses last season look lopsided, Crawford notes the Wildcats were in those games at halftime, only to falter in the second half.
Not only did Thursday put that resiliency to the test, but it also a set benchmark for the Wildcats for the rest of the season. While it looked like another lopsided loss, 72-35, Crawford knows next game will show how the team responds.
“Next game we got another big test against Braintree. We’ve got to adjust,” he said. “It’s about growing from this game, taking on next game; being tougher, more resilient and killing the boards.”
Even with the game out of hand, there were signs of a culture shift. Weymouth’s bench was on its feet for all 12 points the Wildcats scored in the final quarter.
“This is going to be different. We’re going to build the culture from the ground up,” Crawford said. “You never know who is watching. There’s a third, fourth, or fifth-grader watching you. You have to show her how to be a Weymouth Wildcat. And that’s not giving up. We fought to the final second.”
It may seem like an easy win for the Rockets, but Miller and her team were dealt a blow before the season began. During the school’s annual Powderpuff Game against Wellesley the day before Thanksgiving, senior Annie Camozzi tore her ACL, causing her to miss basketball season.
Even with plenty of talent returning from last season’s Sweet 16 run, Miller had to figure out how to adjust without one of her expected stars. In Needham’s first game, the whole team stepped up to fill the role.
“It’s a work-in-progress. You can’t replace an Annie Camozzi. The journey for us is taking steps forward every day,” Miller said. “Our players have to take steps forward into that role, such as having confidence with the ball and attacking. That’s not going to be Annie’s job, so other people are have to be willing have the ball, facilitate and take big shots. I think we took some steps forward with that today.”
Taking on a new team can be a lot for a coach, even without a major injury. Luckily for Miller, she had a familiar face in senior co-captain Hannah Levine. In elementary school, Levine remembers going to basketball clinics coached by Miller.
“Having a change at coach can be scary,” Levin said. “But hearing she was the new one coming, I put my full trust in her. I was pretty optimistic about what she would do throughout the season.”
Levine, who led Needham with 17 points, and the rest of the Rockets were up to the task to fill the hole Camozzi left behind.
“With her out, it’s making our team work even harder together. Dealing with adversity is good. It helping our team bond even more,” Levine said.
So far Miller has pushed the right buttons. Rather than let the early setback cause chaos, she has used it to motivate her team. She won her team over before the first tip-off.
“She is keeping our spirits high,” Levine said. “She has created a positive culture where everyone wants to be there everyday. Our motivation each game is playing for each other, but also playing for her. She believes in us so much that translates into us believing in ourselves.”
