With new leadership across Girls Basketball, Co-Captain Leila Boesch-Powers ’24, has bridged the gap between coach and player, aiding her team during these transitions. Despite being surrounded by change, she leads with positivity, kindness, and discipline.
Boesch-Powers began her career in basketball around her third to fourth grade, continuing through middle school, but missing her first winter season at Andover due to Covid-19. While recognizing she is not the most experienced member of the team, Boesch-Powers consistently brings spirit, encouraging her teammates to do the same.
Boesch-Powers said, “I strive to be a positive and energetic Captain. I know that I am not the most experienced player on the team, but I always try to make up for that through uplifting other people and making the impact that way. I think that’s half, or even more, of the battle to make sure everyone is fostering a community. It really just changes the entire team dynamic.”
Boesch-Powers’ energetic nature does not go unnoticed by her teammates. Sophie Dandawa ’25 highlighted how she is always the first one to show her teammates support in numerous ways.
“Leila is really vocal and energetic. She gets the whole team’s energy up. She always makes sure we are all into the game and focused. She is the first one to cheer for us if we score, first one to have our back if someone makes a bad call, or just stuff like that,” said Dandawa.
Boesch-Powers shared that many of her qualities as Co-Captain carry over into her everyday life. She embodies and strives for consistent motivation and effort, pushing the team to do its best.
Boesch-Powers said, “I feel like the same way that I Captain is the same way I am as a person. I just try to get everyone to do their best and to be disciplined, which is important in sports and in life in general. So, pushing everyone to be their best self is important to me.”
Despite a new Girls Basketball Head and Assistant Coach, Boesh-Powers has still been able to instill some aspects of familiarity in the team. Ruby Kokinos ’26 recognized her ability to create new connections and ensure direct communication on the team.
Kokinos said, “While having new coaches and a relatively new team, Leila still made sure to implement traditions from last year. This gave us a feeling that even though the team was very new, that not all of the community that we previously had was gone… Leila did a very great job at facilitating the new relationships between the coaches and the team through making sure there was clear communications and just connecting us all even when there were a lot of brand new dynamics on the team.”
As Boesch-Powers transitions out of her last season on Girls Basketball, she shared advice to her current teammates. She emphasized that effort and care are vital parts of a successful team.
“I’m so excited to see my teammates continue to grow as players even while I’m no longer on the team next year. So, some advice I have for them is just to focus on continuing to work hard and be kind people first and the rest will come if you have a strong team dynamic and the discipline to make it happen,” said Boesch-Powers.
