The Westtown Girls Basketball team strives for a culture of practicing, playing, understanding, and embracing the multiple ways of being an exceptional teammate. Our coaching philosophy is one of creating a team that understands the value of great defense that requires, and demands, hard work and communication. Offensively, we play up-tempo, emphasizing spacing, ball and player movement, and exploiting mismatches.

How We Train

We do pre-season agility, weight, and skill training three times per week and host “open gym.” Our practices cover myriad drills and skill development, including drills, shooting, offensive and defensive instruction and philosophy, scrimmaging, film sessions, scouting, and more. Everything is geared toward individual and team development.

Player-Focused Philosophy

We work every day not only on our team development and concepts but also on the individual players and their continued growth, maturity, playing skills, and understanding of the game’s nuances. Keeping an open line of communication and observation are essential aspects of this.

At Westtown Track and Field, our coaching philosophy is deeply rooted in the mission and philosophy of the Westtown School Athletics Department. We prioritize the comprehensive development of our student-athletes, encompassing their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Our philosophy revolves around providing individualized attention, fostering teamwork, promoting sportsmanship and integrity, and cultivating a lifelong passion for track and field. We prepare our athletes for the highest level of competition, with many transitioning to college-level participation. All students have the opportunity to participate in our interscholastic track and field program, acquiring valuable skills and experiences as part of the team. Our coaching staff consists of experienced, dedicated, and highly qualified individuals. By embracing this focused and concise coaching philosophy, we strive to create a nurturing environment that empowers our student-athletes to become well-rounded individuals who excel in track and field and positively contribute to their teams and communities.

How We Train

Our practice begins with a 2-3 lap warm-up. Dynamic stretching for a lap leads to hurdle mobility for all team members, depending on the day. Early in the season, we focus on establishing a good cardio base for all athletes. As the season progresses, training becomes more event-specific. For example, sprinters will work on faster intervals of 55-160 meter distances (speed work) if inside and running technique. Field events will also incorporate more technique work at this time. As we get into our schedule with invitationals, we have 1-2 days of speed work and 1-2 days of weight training/stretching in preparation for meets.

Player-Focused Philosophy

We realize that not all athletes will be at the same level, but we continue to work with them to ensure a certain fitness level and a sense of accomplishment. We want athletes to be accountable during the season, such as being on time for practice, being ready for the workout, and practicing healthy nutrition and hydration during the season. We will also check in with athletes at practice and during the school day to see what’s going on with them personally.

The Varsity Rock Climbing team started as a group of students who liked rock climbing and wanted to form a club. As the interest from students and teachers grew, the program did, too. Now, in our fifth season as a varsity program, we aim to develop our climbers. We have a mix of new climbers and experienced climbers. The varied range of skill levels helps to bring a sense of team building as there is always someone to help and give “Beta” or advice to. We train on the wall three days a week and focus our strength and mobility on the other days. The core value of the team is community. We all work together to accomplish challenging tasks and trust others when we are on the walls.

How We Train

Our typical practice begins with a 7-minute dynamic warm-up and a 30-45-minute session focused on skill development. During those drills, the climbers will do various exercises depending on the day to develop a broad range of skills. Next is a 15-20-minute conditioning session, where the goal is to get as much volume on simpler climbs as possible. The following 10-15-minute block is dedicated to individual projects, whether boulders or sports climbing. The practice will always close with a short core and mobility cooldown.

Player-Focused Philosophy

The coaching team’s approach is based on encouragement and support through practicing the fundamentals of climbing. Our daily practice focuses on a fundamental skill to build and grow. The climbers are encouraged to work in a small pod when projecting or developing skills. That way, as coaches, we can travel between the different groups and observe and adjust. As coaches, we see a different perspective and can help others by pointing out the subtle differences.

At Westtown, we firmly believe that wrestling is a team sport, and we place emphasis on positive character, unselfish teammates, and reliable leadership. Beyond any individual wrestling accomplishments, our wrestlers are challenged to be scholar-athletes, leaders, and good citizens in our school community.

How We Train

Wrestling practices typically start with about 20-30 minutes of aerobic conditioning and stretching, followed by a review of tactical issues and accomplishments from the previous meet and a preview of strategies for an upcoming event. The remainder of practice time includes skills development, live wrestling, and aerobic conditioning drills. All wrestlers are expected to actively and continuously participate in every aspect of the two-hour practice. During the regular season, there are generally one or two dual meets on weekdays and wrestling tournaments (individual or dual) every weekend. Westtown Wrestling competes in the Friends Schools League (FSL) and the Pennsylvania Independent Schools (PAISAA) state and national-level tournaments. A 10-week fall preparatory wrestling program is offered before the regular season. After the winter season, wrestlers often attend a summer wrestling camp(s) during which they can learn folkstyle techniques and other styles of wrestling, such as freestyle or Greco-Roman.

Player-Focused Philosophy

Westtown Wrestling has been fortunate to have had over four decades of consistent wrestling coaching. With a coaching staff with decades of combined experience, the wrestling program has provided wrestlers with a consistent programmatic philosophy and clear expectations regarding participation, team ethos, and shared goal-setting. As a boarding school, wrestling coaches are also available to wrestlers on campus 24/7 to provide individual support and to offer team activities both in and out of season. Many of Westtown’s most successful wrestlers began their wrestling careers in high school. We develop wrestlers into state- and national-level competitors by a wrestler’s second or third season, especially if they bring a strong work ethic, positive goal-setting, and a courageous mindset to the sport.

The Westtown Boys Varsity Basketball program places a commitment to academics off the court and skill development on the court as its highest priorities. Athletes will learn to embrace challenges and step out of their comfort zones, unlocking their true potential. They will discover that success is in the details. Beyond the game, athletes will realize what they can accomplish is amazing when they don’t care who gets the credit. By becoming part of the Westtown Varsity Basketball family, athletes will embody the unwavering spirit of Westtown, both on and off the court.

How We Train

Fall training starts on the first day of school in September. We have three days a week of skill development, including defensive drills. We place a heavy emphasis on both pick-and-roll offense and defense. Our workouts are 90 – 105 minutes. We usually have 3-6 coaches in the gym, with 3-4 players per coach in breakdown drills. All our players, bigs and guards, work on ball handling, skill moves, shooting, and finishing drills. We also have strength and mobility training with the team trainer three days a week. We expect our players to put 12 – 15 hours weekly in the gym. We host multiple open gyms for college coaches, which gives our players opportunities to be seen.

Our regular season starts in early November, and we have very few breaks through the end of February. Post-season, outside trainers come in for spring training to work with our players on shooting drills and skill development. The players also lift with the team trainers.

Player-Focused Philosophy

At the start of every season, we set expectations for our players in four core areas.

Expectation of Academic Commitment: Academics come first at all times. Any player not performing well in the classroom will have to miss practice, and we will provide them with the support and resources they need to catch up with their studies.

Expectation of Effort: We ask our players to work as hard as possible and give maximum effort in all they apply themselves to, both on and off the court.

Expectation of Timeliness: We usually start practice early. Being on time actually means being late. We expect our players to be in the gym 15 – 30 minutes before practice. This expectation also extends to off-court commitments as well. We understand that life happens, so we expect our players to communicate with a coach or captain if they will be late.

Expectation of Commitment to Community: As a member of the Westtown School community, students are required to meet various community expectations. These include, but are not limited to, academic and community assignments, decorum, timeliness, and respect, all of which are vital to development both on and off the court. Westtown basketball players will participate fully in all community events and expectations.