The Wareham Vikings girls varsity basketball team is getting a fresh start with new coach Justin Ogilvie. 

“Older girls help the younger girls,” Ogilvie yelled to his team before they started drills during the team’s practice on Thursday, Dec. 8.

With eight years of experience in coaching, Ogilvile plans on taking a team-centered approach to coaching the Vikings.

“It is a disservice to the program when coaches make it about themselves,” he said. 

Many members of the varsity team have been playing basketball for years, such as freshman Johnny Tompkins, who started playing in third grade.

“I basically grew up in the gym,” Tompkins said.  

Like his players, basketball has been Ogilvile’s favorite sport since he was young.

“I’ve been playing since I was five or six years old,” he said. 

He got his start playing basketball at Pembroke High School, which he graduated from in 2013. 

“I surrounded myself with players [in high school]”, he said. 

At 19 years old, Ogilvie was asked by his former coach to go back to Pembroke to coach the freshman boys basketball team, where he learned coaching skills from his mentor, varsity coach Will Seward. 

“I enjoy being a part of the growth and learning processes that being a teenager presents,” said Ogilvie.

As a business teacher at Barnstable High School, Ogilvie said that he has gained a better understanding of the daily life of teenagers. 

“My first six years of coaching I was not an educator,” he said. “[Teaching] has greatly improved my coaching skills, as a teacher I communicate with all types of teenagers.” 

Despite Ogilvie’s extensive experience, the team has been challenged by a low number of players.

“Right now we have eight girls but we are hoping for sixteen,” he said. 

According to Ogilvie, he believes that the lack of players has been largely caused by illness resulting in absences. 

However, the team still remains hopeful heading into the season.

“I feel like we have good camaraderie , we are as prepared as possible,” said point guard Zora Andrews.