McFarland Girls Basketball

Parent/Player Meeting

2025-2026

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Staff Introductions

• Varsity Coach: Kaitlynn Eversoll
• Assistant Coaches: Heidi Knapp & Morgan Rice
• JV1 Coach: Alan Persinger
• Volunteer Assistant JV Coach: Frankie Larson

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• Athletic Trainer: Jay Hanson

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Additional Staff

• Volunteers helping periodically: Mike Eversoll, Kevin Keen, Pat Rice
• Practice squad (alumni)
• Lindsey Lonigro is organizing this

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Program Philosophy

Our McFarland girls basketball program is built on a foundation of developing a positive team culture where every athlete feels a true sense of belonging. We believe that basketball is more than a game—it is an opportunity to teach life lessons that prepare our players to thrive both on and off the court.

We are committed to creating a basketball experience that encourages continued participation, instills a love for the game, and develops the basketball skills and understanding necessary for success. Every player has a role, and every role is valued.

Our environment is one that fosters the courage to be confident, the accountability to own our actions, and the energy, effort, and preparation to compete. Through these values, we aim to help our athletes grow as teammates, leaders, and individuals who will carry these lessons into all aspects of their lives.

Registration Reminders

Items needed for registration:

1. Fill-out MHS Sports Registration - Winter online sports registration information via Infinite Campus.

2. Fees can be paid online through Infinite Campus.

Note: Athletes must have a current WIAA Medical Eligibility form on file with athletic office which is dated after 3/31/24 (good for 2 school years). Please make sure to have a doctor's signature, date of the exam, and parent signature included on physical form. Forms are available in the high school office or you can access one by clicking on this link WIAA Medical Eligibility Form. Once the form is completed please email it to Leah Poulos as a PDF attachment at poulosl@mcfsd.org. Leah will update Infinite Campus with your child's physical date and file the form. Physical forms are good for 2 school years.

Athletic Code Reminders

1. 100% zero tolerance of unlawful alcohol/ drug use. This includes alcohol, tobacco, chemicals, illegal substances, drug paraphernalia, and performance enhancing drugs.

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• School attendance policy: Students must be in school the entire day to be eligible for practice/competition on that day. Only pre-arranged, pre-approved absences are allowed. (i.e. medical appointments, driver’s tests)

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• To be eligible to compete, students must:

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1. Earn a 1.75 grade point average in ALL classes.

2. Earn a passing grade in ALL classes.

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MHS Athletic Code Link

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SportsYou

• Will be used for all team events - in season and off season
• Can sync with phone calendar
• Allows for quick communication to entire group (players and parents)
• Click on event to check for more event information first (bus times, etc.)
• Availability does not need to be updated for in-season practices and games (attendance is expected unless we get an email in advance), but please use this for offseason events (open gyms, PDD, league nights, etc.)
• Note: game times in SportsYou are JV games (first game) - bus times and Varsity games are in description

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Communication

• To communicate directly with a coach, send an email
• Coach Eversoll - eversok@mcfsd.org
• Coach Rice - ricem@mcfsd.org
• Coach Knapp - knapph@mcfsd.org
• Coach Persinger - persina@mcfsd.org
• Emails pertaining to Varsity players, CC assistant coaches too
• Players - last minute messages (late to practice, sick, question, etc.) can be sent through school email Google Chat (include assistant coaches, too) or SportsYou
• Using SportsYou for quick messages:
• Prefer to have both parent and player on same message, so we’re all on the same page
• Need to “add as contact” on SportsYou before you can send an individual message
• May want to do that now, as I have to accept the contact
• Any questions or concerns should first be directed to your daughter’s coach. PLEASE refrain from approaching the coaches immediately following any athletic contest. We strongly recommend observing a 24 hour reflection time before contacting the coach.

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Practices/Games

• Practices are set to begin Monday, November 10th. Click on the link below for the schedule!
• Morning & afternoon on the first two days of the season (Monday & Tuesday)
• Morning practice on Friday 11/14 (after school - photos/media day)
• Our season includes 24 varsity games & 22 JV1 games
• Our practice and game schedules could change at a moment’s notice. We will do our best to communicate any changes in a timely manner. The link below is a “live” document so changes can be made, and you will also get notified on SportsYou.
• Game schedule is on the district website

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Practice/Game Schedule

• Note - Scrimmage moved to Columbus with Columbus & Abundant Life/St Ambrose

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Parents - Roles/Expectations

Parents’ Roles:

1. Be a fan of everyone on the team
2. Respect decisions of the officials. Coach will advocate for our team
3. Respect other fans, coaches and players
4. Talk to your child if she has any questions and, if she still has questions, contact the coach through agreed-upon athletic department procedures
5. Keep any negative thoughts about a coach, the program or teammates to yourself
6. Follow the school communication procedures if there are complaints or concerns. Must wait 24 hours, first contact should be from the athlete if there is an issue.
7. Understand that the coaches’ responsibility is to make certain that athletes are safe and become better people and athletes.
8. Be supportive of your child.

Players - Roles/Expectations

Players’ Roles:

1. Be positive and have a good attitude
2. Be a great teammate
3. Only speak positively about teammates to friends and family (have your teammates back like you want them to have yours!)
4. Work hard
5. Be coachable
6. If you have any questions or concerns, talk to the coach directly
7. Know and follow team and school rules
8. Challenge yourself as an athlete and person
9. Stay on top of all school work (minimum 1.75 GPA)
10. Inform coaching staff of any schedule conflicts ahead of time
11. Arrive on time (to coach’s expectations) and be prepared

Game Expectations

• Varsity players are expected to arrive for the start of the JV1 games. JV1 teams are expected to stay for the varsity game. All players should sit near the team bench and support their teammates.
• All day or no play (practice and games) - athletes must be at school the entire day!
• Pre-excused absences are okay. Please clear appointments with the office!
• Athletes should arrive at least 10 minutes before scheduled bus time.
• All athletes are expected to travel to and from away games on the bus together. If there is a legitimate reason for an athlete to ride home with a parent, a transportation slip must be turned in in advance (The day before or earlier). Extenuating circumstances should be discussed with level coach.
• Playing time will not be equal.
• At both levels, playing time will depend on many factors

Practice Expectations

• If athletes are absent from school they should inform their level coach as soon as possible. We may need to adjust game or practice plans.
• Athletes should be fully ready to go when practice or lifting is scheduled to start.
• Athletes should be at every practice unless excused ahead of time with their level coach.
• If an athlete misses a practice or game for an unexcused reason and it was not communicated with the coach prior, the athlete will sit out of the entire next game.
• If an athlete misses practice/game for an unexcused reason and communicates it prior, the athlete will not be in the starting lineup in the following game, and will have limited playing time in the first half of the following game.
• Excused reasons: illness, appointments, school-sponsored activity, family emergency, etc.
• All athletes should help clean up the gym/put away equipment at the end of practice
• Athletes participating in other non-school sports need to prioritize the school sport season over non-school sport season.
• If you absolutely MUST miss or leave early from practice, it needs to be communicated to your level coach well in advance.
• We have multiple athletes who juggle club and school sports. It’s a challenge. Communication is key!

Team Selection

• Tryouts - first two days
• 4 practices - 2 morning, 2 afternoon
• All players have the chance to tryout for the Varsity roster.
• The coaching staff will evaluate each player on a daily basis and will begin to place players on their respective teams starting Wednesday, November 12^th. Rosters for the varsity and junior varsity teams will be final by Thursday, November 13th. There may be an exception to these dates if the coaching staff feels it is necessary to continue to evaluate players.
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• We’ll have conversations with players on team placement on Wednesday

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The coaching staff will determine player selections. Selections of each team will be based on the following criteria:

1. Skills
2. Team balance based upon position needs.
3. Intangibles such as leadership, listening, team chemistry, attitude, and work ethic.

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Reminder: As the season progresses, players may be asked to move up or down levels of competition based on ability, program needs, position, and work ethic. The coaching staff will make these decisions as the need(s) arise. The selected player(s) and their parents will be notified. The process will then evaluate both the needs of the program and of the player(s) to ensure the best possible scenario for both parties. Together, we will strive to our best based on the circumstances presented to us.

Locker room

• Team locker room is locked during the school day
• You can drop off your stuff in the locker room before 8:20 until 3:00
• Keep locker room clean

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Injury Protocol

• We want to keep our athletes on the court and healthy as often as possible. It’s important to notify the coach at your level if you have any injuries and to see our athletic trainer, Jay Hanson, in order to get back to full strength.
• If you believe your daughter may have sustained a concussion, please contact your level coach as soon as possible. We need to follow proper return to play protocols before your daughter may resume practicing and competing.
• Jay is at school each day from 3-6pm, so please see him if you have concerns or issues. However, it is up to the athlete to inform the coach of any non-serious injuries.

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Fiserv Forum

• Varsity game at 9:00 AM on Saturday, January 3 (boys play at 10:45)
• Need to sell 75 tickets as program to a Bucks game
• Hope to attend the Bucks game as a program (JV & Varsity) for those that are able to attend
• 228 Row 4 or 5 to sit with team
• Hope to get a bus with fundraising funds
• Please share flyer with family/friends and on social media starting next week!

Apparel

• Apparel Team Store - Please feel free to share with anyone that might be interested! The deadline is THURSDAY so that apparel will hopefully be in by the start of the season.
• Player Gear - This order has the players' traveling gear and other optional items.
• In a preseason meeting, players indicated that they would like everyone (JV and Varsity) to have the same game day gear, so we're asking that every player purchase the zip up. To lessen costs, we are not requiring that players purchase the matching sweatpants (players can wear other black pants if they prefer), but those are on the order form too under the optional section. If you need financial assistance to purchase the zip up, please reach out. There is also a spot to make a donation towards someone else's that needs assistance.
• Note: If you would like to wait to order until after the parent meeting on October 21, I will have a couple samples there to help with sizing.
• They should also have a shooting shirt/warm up. Note: We plan to keep this same design for warm ups for 2 years, so players can use the same one from year to year. Again, please reach out if you need financial assistance to purchase the shooting shirt.
• All players should have a practice jersey, also, but if they have a different blue/white reversible jersey, they are not required to buy the one on this order form.

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Fundraising

• Concessions - main source of fundraising (in addition to youth camps)
• SignUp Genius for donations - please share with anyone who might be interested in supporting a fundraiser for our program
• Classmunity - additional funds to cover costs of transportation to Fiserv Forum, extra team travel gear/warm ups, posters, etc.
• Mallards fundraiser (done)

Away Game Meals

• Rebecca Gray is coordinating
• Link to sign up for away game meals

Social Media - NEW

@McFarland HS Girls Basketball

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@mcfspartansgbb

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@mcfspartansgbb

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Updates from summer player meetings

What kind of team culture do you want to create?

• Feedback sheet
• Team culture themes - written by players:
• Everyone feel respected
• Have fun
• Balance of working hard, getting better, and having fun
• Inclusivity
• Positivity
• Depend and lean on each other
• Stand up for each other
• Everyone belongs
• Lift each other up
• United program - both levels
• High energy
• Working together
• Loud, supportive bench
• Get along both on and off the court

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Values Activity

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Narrowed down to:

• Hard work
• Energy
• Accountability
• Togetherness

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Bring the HEAT

McFarland Girls Basketball Values

Hard Work

Energy

Accountability

Togetherness

• Give your best effort at every practice and game
• Never quit
• Next play mentality
• Make every minute count
• Demonstrate focus and motivation to improve

• Be prepared & on time
• Hold yourself accountable to high expectations
• Hold teammates accountable
• Follow program expectations
• Accepts and applies feedback

• Put the team first
• Maintain trust with your team
• Be one unified program - support everyone’s roles on the team, both at the JV and Varsity levels
• Stand up for your teammates
• Communicates openly & respectfully
• Team first

• Support your teammates
• Bring positive energy
• Have fun
• Celebrate every teammate for the role they play in the program
• Do your part in developing a positive team culture
• Lift each other up
• Maintain high intensity
• Encourage through words and actions

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This program needs you.

• Scorers
• Passers
• Ball handlers
• Rebounders
• Defenders
• Leaders
• Encouragers
• JV players
• Varsity players
• Managers

Every role.

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To Do:

• Register on IC
• Fee paid on IC
• Documentation of physical uploaded to IC
• Watch the athletic code video
• Order warm up & travel suit
• Register on SportsYou

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Optional:

• Sign up for concessions donations
• Purchase Bucks tickets for the Fiserv Forum & promote ticket sales
• Sign up for away game meals

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