A Program Revived and a School Forever Changed: The Story of the 2025-26 Bush Girls’ Basketball Team

In the fall, Bush was just a few months away from losing the Girls’ Basketball program, with only six players able and committed to the team. So when Seniors Edom Alemayehu and Ligaya Santos went up to their English teacher and Head Coach Bea Chang to express their interest in joining, it represented more than just two additional players. 

There was one problem: both Edom and Ligaya were planning to go on a travel Cascade. In the past, Bush students participating in travel Cascades were prohibited from participating in winter sports. While this regulation was meant to ensure that students were committed to their team for an entire season, it was restrictive on student-athletes. Yet, Edom and Ligaya remained committed. “We still wanted to be a part of the team and have an impact,” Ligaya said, despite being one of only two seniors who had committed to the team when they reached out to Bea. Most of the other seniors had chosen to embark on a travel Cascade instead.

Three weeks before the season began, little progress had been made in expanding the roster. There were talks of combining the team with another school or including middle schoolers, both of which were unsuccessful. Even if they got enough athletes for this season, senior contribution was still going to be a problem for years to come. Nearly all committed players were underclassmen, and when Bea asked about their long-term plans, many said that they intended to take a travel Cascade during their senior year. “As a coach, that’s heartbreaking. I didn’t want to coach a team that will never have seniors,” Bea said. However, Edom and Ligaya’s interest sparked a new idea. If the Cascade restriction were lifted, more seniors might join, and the season could run smoothly. 

So the three began making a plan to open the program to more seniors, an effort that became a seven-page comprehensive argument outlining why travel Cascade students should be allowed to play basketball. At its core were Edom and Ligaya’s personal experiences, which they shared in a statement to the Upper School: “We talked about how our freshman year was the first year they implemented the [travel Cascade] policy and that we experienced less senior leadership, along with possibly having to give up an opportunity to go on a travel Cascade.”

“Our argument was that there is a very easy thing that we can do right,” Bea said. Eventually, their proposal to allow students to participate in both basketball and travel Cascades was approved, and news of the change rippled through the student body. More seniors in travel Cascades began to join the program, and by the first day of the season, the team had twenty-one members, a large increase from the six planned. The program was saved, but the challenges didn’t end there. The team didn’t have much experience with each other after key contributors from their state run last year had left. It took time and repetition to find success. A turning point came midway through the season at the team retreat: “It was a little rough in the beginning, especially finding that chemistry, but as the practices went by and after team bonding activities, the team got closer. I wasn’t there during the retreat, but I feel the chemistry and the whole dynamic got better,” Ligaya said. “Everyone’s so open and nice on the team, so it’s easy to connect.” 

Four sophomores and five freshmen went to the Olympic Peninsula for the retreat, participating in team-building activities, goal-setting for future years, and even marshmallow tower competitions. “The idea was that once travel Cascades were put in January, this would help basketball programs find an out-of-state travel experience,” Bea told me, and for this team, that experience was invaluable. With many of the contributing seniors going to travel Cascades, the retreat helped underclassmen fully embrace the program. Later, when the team had to compete with a shortened roster due to Cascades and various injuries, that growth was on full display.

The team had found its footing not just because of the underclassmen’s contributions but also due to the leadership of the seniors. “There was lots of joy and passion in the team, especially seeing seniors fail, learn, and try again,” Bea told me. “The senior group has revitalized the excitement around girls’ basketball.” 

Once Blazer Bash arrived, many knew about the resilience of the girls’ basketball team, though not everyone fully understood how close the program had come to disappearing. The stakes for the game were high: A win would give Bush an inside track to make the playoffs. Their opponent, Granite Falls, was 6-0 in conference games and had an entire roster of juniors and seniors. Few could have expected a close matchup, especially considering what this team had gone through. Yet in front of a packed crowd, the Blazers forced the Tigers to overtime. While the Tigers ended up winning, it was an undeniably impressive performance for the Blazers and a true symbol for what this program had become.

It would be impossible to overlook Coach Bea Chang’s role in the team’s revival. When asked about their experience playing for her, both Edom and Ligaya spoke glowingly. “Especially after that first conversation with her when we expressed that we were excited to play, she put in so much effort to give us and all the girls here the opportunity to play basketball,” Ligaya said. Bea’s persistence in saving the program while centering athlete voices reignited belief in the team. “To have that advocate for girls’ basketball, a sport that has so much interest, was really great,” Edom added. 

At the core of this heartwarming story was a bigger issue: Cascades being in the Winter were directly interfering with the athletic and academic pursuits of Bush students. When asked about the senior presence in basketball before Cascades were moved to winter, Edom said, “There were so many seniors, and the environment was so fun.” With this in mind, the team has been advocating for a change, contributing to the recent announcement that Cascades would be moved to the late Spring. This decision reshapes the future of the program, and it is difficult to say whether it would have happened without the momentum created by this year’s team. 

Now, Ligaya looks at the future of the program with optimism: “In [my] freshman and sophomore years, it was always a program that was doomed to fall apart, but now I look forward and I have hope, especially seeing the freshmen who have so much love for the sport and how much passion they put into every practice and drill.” 

This year’s Bush Girls’ Basketball team has been revived through the efforts of driven student leaders and a passionate coach. The program not only had a successful season, but also showed that meaningful changes can be made to the whole Bush community when student leaders stand up for what they believe in.