Baldwin School basketball squad making strides

Bryn Mawr >> When John Bernhardt took the reins of the Baldwin School basketball program in the summer of 2018, he had high hopes for a young, talented team.
After going through the growing pains that come with getting familiar with a new coaching staff that implemented a new game plan, the Polar Bears took the court this season and reaped the rewards of their hard work.
“This might sound a little crazy, but I was talking with my assistant coach (Anthony Foell) and we discussed how we did not like moral victories,” said Bernhardt, who just completed his second year as head coach. “We played Academy of Notre Dame really close twice this year but came up short. I was hoping their hard work would translate into victories.”
While it did not translate into wins against the Irish, the Polar Bears did claw their way to 11 wins, the most in recent memory. Baldwin also earned its first-ever victory in the Pennsylvania Independent Schools state tournament, defeating Friends’ Central in the opening round before falling to Inter-Ac foe Penn Charter in Round 2.
“To get the first state tournament win in school history feels pretty great,” said senior co-captain Alex Loomis. “It has been quite special to see this team grow, and to beat a team we lost to at the start of the season was a great feeling.”
Baldwin junior Anajah Brown added, “Considering all of the ups and downs we have experienced I feel our program has grown a lot and it meant so much to win our first state tournament game.”
Taking the court with a young team combined with a relatively new coaching staff takes a lot of patience and trust in one another. For a team like Baldwin that has experienced its share of struggles, to see them reap the benefits of hard work has been very rewarding.
“I told the team wins are never about the coaching staff; the focus is always on individual development and team success,” Bernhardt said. “To see them experience a big-time win feels so good and I am very happy for the team.”
Although Baldwin will lose some key leadership with the loss of senior Alex Loomis to graduation this spring, they return most of their starting lineup – Kaya Weiser, Brown, Taylor Levinson and Rani Bleznak. They also return Gabi Pritzker, who was unable to play in her sophomore season due to a knee inury, plus key contributors off the bench, including Grace Brunetto and Grace Colucci, to allow them to take the next step.
“We are building something special here and I just try to tell the team as long as they give 100 percent anything can happen,” said Loomis.
“Alex has definitely been our MVP this season,” said Brown. “Her energy and leadership have been a key reason to our success.”
“Alex and the other starters have guided me a lot during the season,” said Weiser. “They are like my older sisters and they look after me. They have meant so much and I can always count on them.”