GISH girls basketball will have a JV schedule this year

One year after putting a hold on varsity and junior varsity girls basketball at Grand Island Senior High, the school announced today they are formulating a JV schedule for the 2025-26 season as the next step to returning to a varsity schedule in the near future.  This release came today from Grand Island Public Schools:

GRAND ISLAND (Neb.) — The Grand Island Senior High Girls Basketball Team is building positive momentum and will be offering a Junior Varsity (JV) schedule for the upcoming season. 

“Our student-athletes and coaches have been working really hard to continue to grow our program.” Chris Ladwig, GISH Activities Director, said. “We are taking the right steps to continue to build our program. Numbers are encouraging due to the work of our student-athletes and coaches. Having a JV schedule this year is showing our progression. I am excited to continue to watch this group grow in the right direction and build for the future. ” 

The move in adding back a JV schedule is a promising sign of growth for the Islander Girls Basketball program.  With over 35-40 student athletes (most of them incoming Freshman and Sophomores) rounding out the squad, GISH looks to continue the growth both in participation numbers and in athlete development. 

As for a full Varsity schedule, the Islanders are about a year away from being able to step back into full offerings. 

“We’re building the program the right way and investing in the development of our kids.  We’ve got more work to accomplish, but we’ve also got a lot to be proud of.” Ladwig continued, “You’re going to see more good things from Islander Girls Basketball this season and throughout the next year so our student-athletes and coaches may achieve the goals they are working towards.”

Bringing back the JV schedule is a step in the right direction for Islanders Girls Basketball. 

Before heading into the 2024-25 season, GISH realized the number of Junior and Senior players was not where they had hoped. 

Last year the decision was made to prioritize the development of younger players through the typical process of Reserves and Freshman levels rather than field JV and Varsity teams filled with Freshman and Sophomores.  Keeping student experience and safety at the forefront, the GISH Girls Basketball program hit the “pause” button last season on JV & Varsity to ensure the best developmental experience for the student athletes.  But looking to this year, progress is being made.

For Matt Fisher, GIPS Superintendent, the program growth is exciting to see. 

“I was able to attend a number of the Freshman and Reserve games our girls played last year.  The progress they were making was very evident and encouraging.” Matt Fisher, GIPS Superintendent, said. “However, it was also clearly evident that we were not going to be ready to jump back into a full Class A varsity schedule and expect our girls to be competitive.  Adding back a JV schedule will give our athletes a chance to compete at a level where they can be successful.” 

The new season will still look a little different as the next step in the process is being reached.  Head Coach Montie Fyfe is ready to make the upcoming season count for the players, coaching staff, and the school.  In keeping the promise from last season’s announcement — the Islanders are not going anywhere.

“We continue to be committed to the program, our players, our coaches, and to growing girls basketball in Grand Island.” Ladwig reflected.

The GISH Activities Office is actively working to build out a JV schedule for the Girls Basketball squad as they look to make a positive impact in the growth of the program.