By Caitlin Morrissey ’16

There are plenty of new faces that flood the basketball court every day after school.  Some of those faces are the 17 young and talented freshman girl basketball players, new to the school and nature of high school athletics.

But, among those new faces is someone who has been around the sport her whole life, and knows what makes a successful and competitive team: new head coach Ms. Maria Cirello.

Following her first season as a new girls soccer varsity assistant, Ms. Cirello comes to the program having been a high school star at Paramus Catholic high school, a four-year starter in both soccer and basketball and a two-sport athlete in college.

“Playing two sports in college was a very challenging and rewarding experience,” Ms. Cirello said. “Working with the same people every day for one, two, three years in college really teaches life skills: teamwork, pride and loyalty to name a few.”

Her new presence on the girls basketball team has pumped new blood into an already excited lineup of athletes.

“Coach Cirello is a very positive and energetic coach, which is something the program needed. She has turned the program around, we are heading into the right direction,”  senior Cristina Morelli said.

Coach Cirello has loved sports, especially basketball, from a young age, so after her successful college and high school campaigns, she embarked on her coaching career, beginning as a graduate assistant for her former college program.

“In high school, my coach really emphasized loyalty, discipline and teamwork, and in that time, I learned how important it is to set goals and develop relationships with your teammates —There are only five people on the court,” coach Cirello said. “By playing in college and in being a graduate assistant, I better understood the fundamentals and the feel of the game, and got to understand it from a coach’s perspective.”

She later went on to coach freshmen and varsity teams for Essex County foes Glen Ridge and Verona.  It is through her past experiences that she hopes to bring a wealth of knowledge to the West Essex basketball program.  “I love the strategic aspect of the game,” coach Cirello said, “and seeing the team and the girls develop as the season progresses.”

Cirello has really enjoyed coaching at the high school level because of the relationships she is able to develop with her players.  “I like to see them as individuals, not just basketball or soccer players and seeing them everyday, in the hallways, in my own classroom allows this to happen,” said coach Cirello.

Coach Cirello embraces the school spirit and appreciation for sports abundant at West Essex.  “I think one of the most important ideas I’ve come to understand in my past few seasons coaching at West Essex was the culture of sports at the school,” coach Cirello said. “Everyone, regardless of level, strives to be the best they can be, and wants the win at the end of the day.”

The girls basketball team returned this season, wanting to improve a 17-10 record from last year. “There is a strong core of true varsity players on the team, and they have really uplifted each other in the early months,” said coach Cirello of her team, “the seniors especially, they have really set the wheels in motion with their excellent leadership.”

“There are plenty of opportunities for people to take advantage of this season and I look forward to building the program,” said coach Cirello.  The team currently holds a successful record and won the West Essex Holiday tournament for the third year in row after trailing 20 points behind Caldwell.

“A come-back win like this happens when everyone believes in each other, believes in themselves, and has that ‘refuse to lose’ attitude. Every person on that court was determined to win and did not settle for anything less,” coach Cirello said of the victory. “If we can play a full 32 minutes with the type of intensity and toughness that we did in the 3rd and 4th quarter, it is going to be a fun season.”