The Red & White

For the past few years, the girls’ varsity basketball team has dominated NEPSAC Class B. They’ve played hard every season, made it to the finals time and time again, and they’ve even won championship games. 

This success didn’t just suddenly happen, though. It is the direct culmination of years of team building, passion, and collective grit. One might ask how that culture has come to be, and why the team continues to grow. The simple answer is leadership. The athletic department has brought a new coach to the Hilltop for the 2025-26 season. Maddie Bledsoe, a Wesleyan alum, has been appointed as head coach of the Girls’ Varsity Basketball team. She also teaches third-form biology and assists with junior varsity coaching in other areas. 

Becoming the GVB coach is not a light role to take on, but Coach Bledsoe is prepared. When asked about the type of culture she’s looking to build in the program, Ms. Bledsoe described a “we over me” philosophy, where the prosperity of the team as a whole is prioritized over the sole individual. “The best teams play for each other, and that’s how we’re going to get the most out of the talent we have,” Bledsoe said. Teamwork and unity are fundamental to cultivating success, as Coach Bledsoe knows. However, even the most selfless teams face obstacles during the season. 

In this level of basketball, where the most skilled come together to play, the environment is intense, and college recruitment is on the line; challenges are inevitable. The pressure to do well, win games, and impress scouts starts from the very beginning of the season and grows steadily throughout. The question is, how does one rise above that pressure? Maybe it’s by simply staying passionate and enjoying the game. 

In an interview, Payton Scurry ‘27 said that the team was looking for “a coach who will guide us to improving not just individually, but as a team, and a coach who makes sure we are having fun while doing so.” While this again emphasizes the goal of collective teamwork, it also serves as a reminder that joy is important to accomplish success in a sport; it is necessary, even. A coach who facilitates a fun learning environment, where players improve while staying passionate, is a coach who has done their job. 

When asked how she approaches tough times during the season, Bledsoe replied, “I focus on building winning habits early on, so that when times get difficult, as they do in every season, we have those habits to fall back on so that we can push through and ahead.” Additionally, Bledsoe said that she is planning to bring players of different ages together on and off the court by “sticking with the team culture piece,” which involves “Playing games early in the fall, doing activities together, bonding, and forming those connections across grades.” “We have a really good welcoming group of girls,” Bledsoe added. It is true that teamwork is made possible with inclusivity, regardless of age or years of experience. Younger or less experienced players can be acknowledged not just on the court, but off it as well, in the team’s social setting. 

So, where has Bledsoe developed all of these coaching values from? Where has the influence stemmed from? When asked what made her want to be a coach, Bledsoe said, “For one, I have a very strong passion for basketball as a sport. But also, through high school and college, I had some very influential coaches who changed the trajectory of my career, who were also very important people in my life. I want to take the opportunity to be that person for others.” Now that she has the chance to extend the same positive influence that she once experienced onto the girls’ varsity team at St. George’s, Bledsoe seems excited and ready. She will undoubtedly foster a great environment and lead the girls’ team strongly throughout this upcoming season.