New coaching for girls basketball
By Eliza Pinckney, Reporter

This basketball season, the high school girls basketball team will be led by Vashon alumnus Anya Serebryakov. Though Serebryakov has experience with assistant and individual coaching, this is her first year as a head coach.

“Something I’ve always wanted to do is be a head coach,” Serebryakov said. “It’s different when you’re a head coach versus an assistant coach because as a head coach, you build the program the way you want it to look with your own coaching philosophy.”

Serebryakov already has an idea of what her own coaching will look like.

“I think [basketball is] more than just the sport. I think it’s teaching life skills,” Serebryakov said. “In regards to how I’m going to coach when it comes to what plays and stuff, I’m not sure until I see the girls that come out to play … I think it’s important to look at the personnel that you have on your team and build the program that way.”

Serebryakov has experience in both coaching and playing basketball, having competed on the Vashon high school team from freshman to senior year. Her passion for basketball went beyond high school as well.

She was recruited to college for her basketball talents and from there she went on to get a masters degree in Sports and Exercise Psychology.

“[Basketball] was a positive experience. I made a lot of good friends through the high school and in college that way,” Serebryakov said.

Serebryakov hopes that her players will also be influenced by basketball, and that they have a good experience on the team.

“I think my goals are to make sure that it’s a fun environment for all the girls to play, that they all learn the sport starting from the basic fundamentals of individual play to working as a team,” Serebryakov said. “My goal is for the girls to have a family with each other and that they can support each other and grow within the team.”

Serebryakov also encourages more girls to come and try out for the basketball team.

“If you’ve ever thought about playing basketball, even if you haven’t played in a long time or you’ve never played, I just really encourage you to come out and try out for the team,” she said. “We’ll be starting coaching at the basic fundamentals, so it’s not like you would be jumping into straight playing basketball.”

Basketball was a very significant part of Serebryakov’s life in highschool, and the sport is still one of her passions to this day. She hopes that the players have a good experience as athletes and members of the team.

“I think it’s important to be an athlete and be active just because any sport gives you camaraderie and teaches you about goal setting and about being bigger than just yourself,” Serebryakov said.