Our Philosophy
|
character development. We recognize that the important life lessons learned on the court each day—resilience, leadership, tenacity, sacrifice, time management— remain with our athletes throughout their lifetimes. Our coaches are teachers and mentors to the young women on their teams. Together, the athletes and coaches work to build a team of hardworking, committed players who help each other be their very best. Aligned with Seven Hills’ full-participation athletics philosophy, our basketball program welcomes any athlete who wishes to play the sport, and is deeply committed to help each student athlete achieve her athletic goals and reach her fullest potential. Coaches challenge and guide their players through rigorous practices and conditioning sessions, with the objective of encouraging continuous improvement for each player. By season’s end, individual players become a united band of loyal teammates, and the success of the season is measured by the memories made as much as by the record of the team. #StingerStrong! |
|
Coach’s Profile
|
Tyler McIlwraithVarsity Girls Basketball
|
COACHING PHILOSOPHY
I believe that effort is something that is 100 percent controlled by the individual and can’t necessarily be coached. I want my kids to bring that energy and commitment every day to practice and games. During the season, I set the expectation that my athletes should always outwork their opponents. On any given day, we may or may not be more skilled than the team we are playing, but we will always work harder. During practice, we often work on the fundamentals. I believe they are an important part of the game, but often get overlooked. Regardless of the levels of talent of individual members of the team, we all work on fundamentals. Something that brings me back every year is that “click” moment I see in my athletes. For example, it might take a player several months to master a left-handed layup, but when they finally get it, when that skill clicks, seeing the pride and excitement in her eyes is the reason I love to do what I do.
WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT COACHING AT SEVEN HILLS
The Seven Hills School has been a big part of my life, and I love being part of the Seven Hills community—as an alumna, as a teacher, and as a coach. As a teacher and coach, I get to work with students of all ages (kindergarteners in the morning and Middle and Upper Schoolers in the evening). When I returned to the Cincinnati area following my time in Europe playing basketball professionally, I was thrilled when I heard that Seven Hills had an assistant varsity coach position opening, as I am a big believer in the school’s approach to athletics. I love that my athletes are well-rounded and always coachable. They are committed and competitive, and always supportive of each other, regardless of the outcome of our games.