Girls Varsity Basketball

Additional Levels Offered:
Girls JV Basketball

Team Overview

Girls Varsity Basketball

2020 NEPSAC Girls' Basketball Tournament Class D Bracket - Semifinalists

Welcome to The Frederick Gunn School Girls Basketball Program. FGS has maintained a girls’ basketball program since becoming coed in 1978. We are a member of Class C within NEPSWBCA (based on the size of our female population). Our program consists of a JV and Varsity team and can accommodate athletes at all levels. The program emphasizes skill development, teamwork, and good sportsmanship. Our teams play competitive schedules with opponents including Canterbury, Miss Hall's, Cheshire, KLHT, Harvey, Stoneleigh-Burnham, Westover, and Millbrook. The Frederick Gunn School Varsity Girls Basketball earned a place in the Class D New England tournaments in 2016, 2019, and 2020. During the 2020 season the team made school history hosting a first round tournament game and winning for the first time. The Highlanders capped off the most successful season in school history with a trip to the semifinals of the NEPSAC tournament!

Our Philosophy
At the Varsity level, a competitive schedule challenges the team to work together and push one another both in games and practices. Teamwork is at the core of the program and is emphasized both on and off the court. The FGS team strives to improve both as individuals and as a team, working to build our success over the course of the season. The best teams are composed of selfless players who understand the strengths of their teammates and utilize them on and off the court. Hard work and respect for the game are important parts of every moment we set foot on the court. The average week consists of four (100 minute) practices and two games. Players often live, eat, and go to class together daily. The team aspect is natural during the winter term, and these players demonstrate that both on and off the court.

Meet the Coaches

Amy Paulekas

Head Coach

Originally from Glastonbury, Connecticut, Amy is a 2011 graduate of Colby College in Maine where she earned a degree in economics with a minor in mathematics. At Colby, Amy was a member of the Women’s Crew Team, which she captained her senior year. Amy spends her summers working at a camp in Maine, where she teaches waterfront lifeguarding and is the waterfront head. At The Frederick Gunn School, Amy is the Director of Studies and teaches Calculus. She was named the holder of the Tisch Chair for Excellence in Teaching, 2015-2018, and received The Class of '55 Distinguished Teaching Award in 2017. Outside of the classroom, Amy coaches field hockey and is the Head Coach for Girls Varsity Basketball. Amy is a dorm parent in Graham House, where she lives with her dog Matrix, who loves long walks and naps. In her free time, Amy enjoys swimming, camping, and canoeing.
Cassandra Ruscz

Assistant Coach

Cassandra Ruscz is the Director of Residential Life at The Frederick Gunn School and a member of the World Languages faculty. A graduate of the Taft School and Tufts University, where she majored in psychology and Spanish, and won back-to-back national championships in softball, Cassie joined The Frederick Gunn School faculty in the fall of 2017. In addition to teaching Spanish, she is the Head House Parent in Gibson, an advisor, and Assistant Coach for Girls Varsity Basketball. In 2020, Cassie earned a master’s in education degree from the University of Delaware, and she is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of South Carolina’s College of Education. In 2021, Cassie was honored with the Class of 1955 Distinguished Teaching Award.

Meet the Players