Edsel Ford Basketball has been the talk of Edsel all season. Throughout the 2023-2024 season, the Edsel Ford Varsity Basketball team has been through countless highs and lows. The season started off with a disappointing 0-5 record and a 0-3 league play, but the team didn’t let that stop them. As the season continued, the team improved tremendously, beating Lincoln Park and giving them their first league loss, running the table in league play by the end of the season, and even defeating Woodhaven to win Edsel Ford a championship.

However, none of this came easy; hard work and dedication were not only needed from the players but also from the coaches. I talked to the head coach, Coach Rydzik, about his thoughts after coaching his first season here at Edsel Ford. Rydzik said, “The first year of coaching here at EF was challenging and rewarding. Despite a slow start, we stuck to our core values of maximum effort, continuous growth, and a selfless mindset.” Even though this was Coach Rydzik’s first year coaching here at Edsel Ford, he has already made a significant impact on the players and the program as a whole.

Approaching the league championship game, Edsel Ford faced an unfortunate event that eventually led to a depleted roster. But this did not deter anyone from giving their best; junior varsity players were pulled up to play against Crestwood. Coach Rydzik said, “I knew from the off-season work I put in with the younger players that we had a chance to win the game, but after seeing the attention to detail that all our players put into the two practices leading up to the game, I was extremely confident we were going to win.” And they did, defeating Crestwood 60-44.

Following this significant win, the Thunderbirds faced a tough loss against River Rouge. However, despite many bumps in the road, the Edsel Ford Basketball team still managed an incredible season, leaving a mark on Edsel Ford history. Bringing home the first league championship in roughly 6 years, in the end, all the hard work paid off.