The Next Generation Takes the Court

Hundreds of supporters flocked to see Smith’s basketball team dominate regular and postseason play for the second straight year. Over the course of its 2024–25 season, the team clinched its fifth-straight NEWMAC title; defeated SUNY Cobleskill, Amherst College, Bowdoin College, Gustavus Adolphus College, and the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh during the NCAA playoffs; and took on top-seeded New York University in the first-ever rematch in a national championship game in the history of Division III women’s basketball.

The team was named the national runner-up after a 77–49 loss to NYU, concluding an extraordinary season with a 31–3 record. Students, faculty, staff, and members of the Northampton community supported the team game after game, but the loudest cheers often came from the youngest fans: members of the Playmakers Club.

Established last summer as a way to give back to the local community, the Playmakers Club is the brainchild of head basketball coach Lynn Hersey and her staff. It offers leadership development and self-confidence workshops, basketball skills clinics, the opportunity to scrimmage at halftime during Smith home games, and other activities—all free of charge. Since its inception, the club has welcomed 143 local girls, from kindergartners to eighth graders.

“We’ve had an extremely invested following throughout the last two years, and we’re profoundly grateful for the community and their support,” Hersey says. “I thought about that a lot in terms of understanding the challenges of young girls these days, especially because I have two daughters of my own. I wanted to find a way we could use our program and platform to elevate their confidence, self-esteem, and belief in themselves.”

It’s a holistic initiative—one designed to uplift girls both on and off the court—that’s been well received by the greater Northampton community. Players say the club brings just as much joy and inspiration to team members as it does to their young cohorts.

“We’ve been in their shoes, and we know exactly what it’s like to be at these camps, to be around college players and look up to them,” guard Selam Maher ’26 says. “But at the same time, it’s more than just basketball. We’re empowering these young girls, building up their confidence while showing them how that looks as college athletes ourselves. It’s a really great balance.”

In addition to meeting with club members before and after games, the team participates in activities with them designed to foster self-confidence, leadership, and—of course—fun. One evening saw the groups making vision boards together, while another featured a make-your-own-jersey event. Guard Hannah Martin ’27 recalls a workshop in which she and her teammates asked the Playmakers to draw or write something they excel at and something they want to improve.

“Seeing them celebrate themselves was really special,” Martin says. “They talked about being good basketball players and good swimmers, but they also wrote about their kindness and generosity, and being good friends. It was so good to see, especially in such a young group of girls.”

It’s a sentiment Hersey echoes, and one that’s at the heart of both the Playmakers Club and Smith itself: “The club is a unique way to use our sport to create a type of synergy and connection between these girls, the community, and our team. I think Smith is a special home for it.”

This synergy is tangible when members of the Playmakers Club take to the court during halftime to compete in a 10-minute scrimmage of their own. Moments like this stick with Hersey and remind her why the program is so important.

“I love seeing that boldness in them as they play, especially in front of a packed house,” she says. “They’re confident and not afraid of the moment; they’re running toward it. They’re bringing their best selves to the team in that moment. It all happens on our players’ stage, and I love that we get to put them on that stage too.”