Courtesy of Michael Maher

Forward Callie Godfrey ’24 led the women’s basketball team (2–0; 0–0 NESCAC) with 17 points and seven rebounds in last Saturday’s 73–46 win against Springfield College (2–1). Godfrey and her team are looking toward an exciting season that has started off with a bang.

Godfrey began playing basketball in grade school alongside her twin brother.  It was the team element, similar to the family bonds that introduced her to the sport, that drew her in.

“It’s really fun to go and ball out with my friends every day,” Godfrey said. “But I also love to win. It’s nice to think the work that you put in is rewarding. I feel like even if I have a bad game, all of that work that I’ve done with my team [is worth it].”

Last season was very competitive, and though the Polar Bears started off strong, the team was still frustrated with the year’s results.

“I feel as though last year, we started off really strong in the first semester, and in the second semester, I don’t think we got as far as we thought we could or wanted to,” Godfrey said. “This past season and the preseason summer leading up [to it], a lot of us had put in work to not end up where we were last year and to go farther.”

Godfrey’s personal efforts primarily revolve around detail work. She focuses on the smaller components that build her skill set rather than trying to make major changes. Much of it is not limited to the court but to daily routines as well.

“In my head, I want to sleep well. If I go in knowing I checked all of the boxes of like, ‘Did I take care of my body?’ that helps me feel like I’m now here, and I’ve done the work to prepare,” Godfrey said. “It’s doing that work. I take my vitamins on game day, even though I don’t always take vitamins. It’s just things like that.”

Time off the court is especially important to Godfrey in building a team that communicates well and works cohesively during games.

“We’re a big ‘game team.’ I think this year we’re really goofy. We have played a lot of salad bowl,” Godfrey said. “[Winter break] is a fun time when we’re just all here together hanging out.”

Godfrey took a gap year during the pandemic before playing for the College, but what she found more challenging was the transition out of high school.

“Adjusting into [college basketball], it became more of a lifestyle and [a] routine,” Godfrey said. “I feel like that is now my relationship with it. It’s a part of my life, rather than just an activity that I went to.”

Godfrey credits Annie Boasberg ’23, one of last year’s captains, and Head Coach Megan Phelps as her main influences in her Bowdoin career.

“For us, trust is a really big thing,” Godfrey said. “I feel like [Phelps has] just been a really great mentor in creating a team culture that’s really fun to win and play competitively. In order to do that, our team motto this year is ‘Worth more than easy.’ We try and really embody that because she’s been really good at creating a love but also an edge.”

Godfrey has high hopes for this season.

“I would love to win a NESCAC title and then make it to the tournament as far as we can go,” Godfrey said. “I would just really love to see us achieve all of what I think we’re capable of. I think we can be a really, really good team. And we are a good team right now. But I would love to see us continue to play really, really well.”