The Jenkintown Lady Drakes’ 2023-24 basketball campaign starts on Friday, December 1 with the Oreland Lions Tournament at Springfield High School. They open against New Foundations Charter School at 3:30pm.
Jamal Elliot, the program’s new head coach, and six Lady Drakes freshmen are gradually sliding into their respective roles.
Coach Elliot is taking over for the recently departed Jim Romano, who had been heading up the team since the early 1980s.
“Coach Romano had a lot of success when he was there. My job isn’t to go in there and replicate or duplicate that. I need to do things in my own way,” Coach Elliot said.
An educator by trade, Elliot is the principal at Ad Prima Charter School in Mt. Airy, and served as the CEO of another charter school prior.
A graduate of a high school comparable in size to Jenkintown, he said he came in with a sense of what the culture would be like.
“The community has been incredible. The first meeting I had with some of the players and their family members was great,” Elliot said. “I’ve been well received and felt welcomed from the beginning. Administration, the super, the principal, the athletic director, the boys coach; from that perspective, it’s been incredible.”
This year, their roster has grown to 17, enough to field a JV team. And, according to Coach Elliot, more may be coming.
“Just yesterday, I spoke to a player who’s interesting in coming back to the team after taking a year off. The excitement around the program is really exciting for me,” he said.
Coach Elliot comes from the boys’ game and is learning the ropes of the conference, but his focus is still the same: player development.
“I often lean on the girls to find out who’s who, and what teams are tough. But at the end of the day, I want them to have fun. In its purest form, basketball should be fun. I want to see them develop, and I want to be the vessel for that,” he said. “Winning is important, and I expect that will take care of itself if and when the first two things are realized.”
“I enjoy coaching and I enjoy teaching,” he said.
For Jenkintown girls’ basketball’s full schedule, including tomorrow’s opener, you can click here.
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