As the sun illuminated the court, Arhan Ganapathi and his teammates Kayin Bradford and Anik Shetty met their basketball coach to get shots up. But this was no ordinary practice — at 6 a.m. on a summer morning, the players had come together to train, a testament to their shared commitment to preparing for the varsity season.
For many student-athletes, making the varsity team is a coveted goal, but it’s not always a simple journey to get their name on the varsity roster. While some players seem to have an advantage, thanks to prior experience or natural talent, for others, securing a spot on the varsity roster takes more than just showing up for tryouts. It demands the kind of dedication that happens long before the season starts, during the offseason grind.
Arhan, now a senior, was double-rostered on JV and varsity as a sophomore. It was the summer after that year in which he dedicated himself to not only securing his spot on the varsity roster but also expanding his role on the team with those early morning practices. For Arhan, making varsity wasn’t just about earning a title, it was about pushing himself to grow and develop as a player.
“I saw the opportunity to be surrounded by people who are better than me,” Arhan said. “There is a lot to learn from the people around you, especially the juniors and seniors. While varsity is a bigger commitment — the practices are more intense, and we have to take the initiative to recover from them — and the stakes are higher too. It pushes you to be well-rounded and be successful.”
Sophomore Cece Bernstein, who played JV volleyball last year, worked in the offseason to make the varsity roster. After facing an injury during the club volleyball season, Cece had to wait until July to start playing again. To catch up, Cece attended volleyball camps and private lessons in the summer, and during the preseason, she came in early to get extra touches before team practices.
“The challenge of playing with people better than me was something I wanted to be able to do daily so that I could improve,” Cece said, reflecting on how she enjoyed practices combining varsity and JV players last year. “What motivated me to get on varsity was the tough level of gameplay and the opportunity to play with some of the older players that I have looked up to since I started.”
This season, as the dance team members form a tunnel, Arhan steps onto the Upper Kovler court to the sound of his name echoing the gym, a varsity player making his mark.
