Pennington Girls’ Basketball Coach Jeff Eckerson has a humble philosophy for the sport: success comes with strong teamwork and the appreciation that all players are valuable assets.

“I am passionate about basketball because it is so team-oriented. All of the players must work together for a common goal; one cannot do it alone,” says Eckerson, who played basketball at Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA. “Scoring is important, but a team will not win without defense and rebounding, as well.”

Following this philosophy, the team has won two consecutive Prep B State Championships with wins over Newark Academy in 2016 and Morristown-Beard School in the 2017 championship. The 2017-18 season was a record-setting one as the team captured the NJISAA Prep A State Championship for the first time in School history and repeated as Prep A champions with a win over Blair Academy in the 2018-2019 championship game.

“Success comes when the time we spend together as a team is both productive and enjoyable, and we are all working toward a common goal,” Eckerson says. “If the players take pride in what they are doing and believe in one another, we have succeeded.”