Grand Island Senior High School in Nebraska, the state's third-biggest high school with over 2,600 students, has canceled its girls varsity and junior varsity basketball teams for the year due to dwindling participation. This decision mirrors a national trend where involvement in high school girls basketball has dropped by nearly 20% in the past two decades. While college and professional women's basketball is breaking viewership records with breakout stars like Caitlin Clark, this doesn't translate into more players joining the sport, says Kansas State University's women's basketball coach, Jeff Mittie.
The high school, located about 120 miles from Omaha, saw no upperclassmen going out for the team, leading to the decision. Focus has shifted to developing younger players to potentially rejuvenate the sport at the school. However, challenges remain, as young athletes are increasingly specializing in one sport and Grand Island girls' basketball has seen a string of heavy losses, with the team losing 43 of its last 44 varsity games.
Rebuilding the team presents challenges, including travel burdens and financial commitments for families aiming for high-level competition. Grand Island's middle school coach Kathryn Langrehr is promoting the sport through free clinics, hoping to create a future pipeline of players. Still, the popularity of volleyball in Nebraska remains a major competitor, with many students, like Brandon Traudt's daughter, choosing it over basketball. The state's strong volleyball culture and recent surge in participation further complicate efforts to revive interest in girls basketball. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
