ROSY OUTLOOK: Stuart Country Day School basketball player Rose Tetnowski brings the ball up the court in a game last winter. Senior guard Tetnowski will be counted on to provide leadership and production this winter for Stuart. Tetnowski and the Tartans came up big last weekend as they won the George School (Pa.) Invitational, defeating the Solebury School (Pa.) 48-30 in the opening round on Friday before topping Calvary Christian 54-27 in the title game on Saturday. Stuart, now 3-0, plays at Villa Victoria on December 9 before hosting Princeton Day School on December 14. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Taking the helm of the Stuart Country Day School girls’ basketball team last winter, Justin Leith aimed to have his players show a deeper commitment to the game.

As Leith looked ahead to the 2015-16 campaign, he believes that his approach is resonating with his players.

“The expectations have really been solidified and what is great is that now we have some new kids and the culture is starting to be established,” said Leith, who guided the Tartans to an 11-16 record last year in his debut campaign with the program.

“The older kids bring them in, it is not me, and they are going to individuals, saying hey this is the way we do things here, which is really fun to be a part of.”

In Leith’s view, getting his charges to embrace a strong work ethic has a benefit well beyond their hoops experience.

“I am able to articulate and show them the reason behind the hard work and that it is always much bigger than basketball,” said Leith, who is also Stuart’s Director of Athletics.

“We reflect on that all the time. I don’t care about the record, at the end, that takes care of itself. But it is really about kids that go on, not to play basketball in college, they go on to have adversity or difficult times and use the practices and games as defining moments in their life to be successful.”

Leith believes that senior forward Kate Walsh is primed to have a successful senior season.

“She is looking really good; she is putting in a lot of work,” said Leith, whose squad put in some good work last weekend as it won the George School Invitational, defeating the Solebury School (Pa.) 48-30 in the opening round on Friday before topping Calvary Christian 54-27 in the title game on Saturday.

“We have been doing a lot more individual stuff with her to take advantage of her size in the post which is great.”

The addition of freshman Bey-Shana Clark gives the Tartans more strength in the post.

“She is just tremendous inside as well,” asserted Leith of Clark. “Certainly in the next couple of years she is going to be a very high level player, not just for Stuart but in general. She is starting already as a freshman so having those two inside is going to be great.”

Stuart boasts a good one-two punch in the backcourt with senior Harley Guzman and sophomore Jalynn Spaulding.

“Harley is starting at point guard,” said Leith, whose team has started 3-0 and will look to keep on the winning track as it plays at Villa Victoria on December 9 and hosts Princeton Day School on December 14.

“We also have Jalynn Spaulding, who is a sophomore and transferred from Lawrence this year. Those two are going to be our primary ball handlers and kind of set everything up. It is great to have two this year. We really relied a lot on Harley last year; Jalynn can relieve some of the pressure from Harley.”

Versatile senior Rose Tetnowski has proven that she can be a primary contributor.

“Rose has showed a lot of improvement last year,” said Leith. “She is a good athlete, she plays field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse. She has really stepped up her work ethic in practice, that was fun to see last year. She is coming along early this year as a real leader for sure, providing that senior type leadership. She is another person who we can trust with the ball and who can bring the basketball up. She sees the floor well and plays tough defense.”

Sophomore Madeleine Michaels brings toughness and skill to the mix. “Madeleine is a player, she can handle the ball a little bit, she can post up a little bit,” said Leith.

“She was our most improved player last year. She had a couple of JV games that just propelled her. She gained her confidence through the JV games and became a starter at the end of the season and has picked up where she left off.”

Leith, for his part, believes that emphasizing the basics will help propel Stuart to a big 2015-16 season.

“I think defense is always key; it needs to be who we are,” said Leith, who is excited to have his program host the upcoming Stuart Basketball Classic, which will include 10 teams and is slated for December 18-21.

“Last year at this point, I think we had 30 different offensive plays and about eight different defenses ready to go. Whereas this year we have one defense, one press, two plays against the zone, and then two against man to man. We have scaled it back. We are teaching the fundamentals.”