From Philly to the Carolinas: GFS Varsity Girls Basketball Visits UNC and USC Programs

In late June, the GFS Varsity Girls Basketball team embarked on a trip down south to visit some of the top college women's basketball programs in the country. The journey provided ample opportunities for team bonding, time on the court, and behind-the-scenes tours at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and the University of South Carolina (USC).

At their first stop, Carmichael Arena at UNC, the Tigers were welcomed by GFS alumna Cat Bixby ’06, Assistant Women's Basketball Coach for the Tar Heels.

Bixby was a basketball star during her time at GFS, and is a member of the 1,000+ Points Club with 1,128 points on record. Prior to UNC, she was the head coach at Johns Hopkins University and Dickinson College, and was named the Centennial Conference Coach of the Year in 2019. In college, Bixby was a standout All-American guard at Ithaca College.

At UNC, Bixby led the team on a tour of the school’s athletics facilities, including the arena, weight room, locker room, film room, and practice gym.

“Cat was incredibly generous with her time and offered words of wisdom to the group about her experiences as a GFS student-athlete and a lifetime in sports,” said GFS Girls Basketball Head Coach and Interim Director of Athletics, Michael Lintulahti. 

The GFS students appreciated Bixby’s insights, as well as hearing some of the lore of the Tar Heels basketball program, where Michael Jordan famously played in the early 1980s.

“We learned that UNC has never changed its locker room door because they wanted to keep the same door Michael Jordan walked through when he played there,” said Samatha Sims-Pettiford ’28. “I also loved seeing their collection of iconic Jordan gear—the shoes were amazing!” 

After thanking Bixby for her hospitality, the team ventured further south to Columbia, South Carolina, where they attended the two-day Dawn Staley Team Camp at USC. 

In addition to playing against teams from Georgia and South Carolina, the team received an exclusive tour of facilities, including locker rooms and weight rooms, and attended a lecture and Q&A session given by Dawn Staley, the highly-regarded three time national champion (’17, ’22, ’24) and current Head Coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team.  

The Tigers were thrilled that Staley, a Philly native, came to watch one of their games.

“Out of all the games going on that weekend, Dawn chose to come to ours because we were the only team there from Philly,” said co-captain Jojo Lintulahti ’28. “That definitely gave the team motivation to perform well, and it also gave us pride, knowing how much significance being from Philly holds for her.”

The players also appreciated the chance to see what these high-level college basketball programs provide for the teams, and what they expect from the players.

“The facilities and programs the coaches have built up are incomparable, and it was so cool that the women’s basketball teams had their own practice gyms and weight rooms,” noted co-captain Izzy Ritchie ’27. “But it was also interesting to see how much time college athletes, specifically at these schools, put into their sport; their whole lives are dedicated to it.”

Jojo Lintulahti noted that many people on the GFS team have aspirations to play at the college level, and that this level of access helps to stoke those ambitions. 

“Seeing the facilities, as well as the hard work that has to be put in to make it happen, was very inspiring!” she said.

This year’s GFS Varsity Girls Basketball team includes some younger players and new students, and the time on and off the court were important for team bonding.

“Our team has always been so connected, and that’s because of trips like this and how, during the winter season, we spend so much time together,” said Sims-Pettiford.

Ritchie agreed, noting that as the only senior on the team this year, it was great to get to know some of the newer and younger players.

“By the end of each season, we’re more than friends or teammates—we’re sisters—and it’s good to get that going as early as possible,” she said.