Egg Harbor Township girls basketball returns to form
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — When Egg Harbor Township High School girls basketball coach Adam Swift talks about his team, he rarely singles out any one particular player. That鈥檚 because the Eagles鈥� success isn鈥檛 predicated on one star player, or two all-star caliber players.
Rather, what EHT has been able to do on the hardwood the past couple of seasons is a direct result of teamwork, communication, and players realizing that in order to be successful, the sum has to be greater than the parts.
EHT girls basketball has a rich tradition, particularly in the 1990s when the Eagles were one of the best teams in the state and made a trip to the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions. But in the last decade or so the program had slipped into obscurity 鈥� not only in South Jersey, but in the Cape-Atlantic League. Swift took over a few years ago and his mission has been to return the Eagles to championship form.
They鈥檙e not there yet, but they have been laying the building blocks for success.
In the 2015-2016 season, EHT posted a 5-18 record. But in the years since, the program has been improving, steadily. The Eagles posted seven wins the following year, eight during the 2017-2018 season, went 11-14 in 2018-2019, and then turned the corner in the 2019-2020 season, racking up 14 wins against 11 losses.
The 2020-2021 season was cut short because of the covid-19 pandemic, but EHT still went 8-6 and began proving it could hang with some pretty solid teams such as Absegami and Hammonton. This year, the Eagles took another big step forward, earning berths in the Cape-Atlantic League and state tournaments while posting a 15-10 record. At one point, from late January to the middle of February, EHT won 10-of-11 games, which no doubt helped the Eagles secure an at-large bid to the league tournament.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been an amazing year, just a total team effort with every girl contributing. The younger kids have been stepping up, the older kids being leaders 鈥� it鈥檚 been fun to watch the growth of the program,鈥� Swift said prior to the league tournament. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a validation. The girls can see the success we鈥檙e having and it validates all their effort and hard work. It鈥檚 a great achievement for a young team and it validates everything we鈥檙e trying to do as a program. And, most importantly, the girls deserve this opportunity.鈥�
The 2021-2022 season is the best the Eagles have enjoyed under Swift, who has been at the helm for three years, and EHT hosted a state playoff game for the first time in ten years. The last time EHT hosted a first-round South Jersey Group 4 playoff game was in 2012 when the Eagles beat Toms River South, 37-32.
Now, the challenge for the Eagles will be to build even further on the foundation they鈥檝e put down under Swift鈥檚 guidance.
鈥淢aking the playoffs and the CAL Tournament are always our goals. This year it鈥檚 been about everybody contributing. I was going through out scorebook and we鈥檝e had nine different girls start a game for us this year, and we鈥檝e had six different leading scorers. So, it鈥檚 been everybody contributing and playing their role. It鈥檚 been a program year, which is fantastic,鈥� Swift said. 鈥淵ou usually have that one girl you can lean on, but we have specific girls with specific skill sets. So, in late-game situations, depending on what is needed, we have a bunch of people we can turn to. Sometimes you have a tendency to think you need that one scorer to rely on, but being balanced makes defending us so difficult. There鈥檚 been a new kid step up every day.
鈥�(Making the CAL Tournament) is great for the kids. Our seniors are such great leaders, so the success they are seeing is awesome because they have been through some tough times,鈥� he added. 鈥淎nd for the rest of the kids, this is not going to be a one-year thing. This isn鈥檛 a team of eight seniors who has finally put it together, this group is going to continue to get better and we鈥檙e excited about that.鈥�
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