First day of practice: Marmion goes co-ed, jumps straight into the fire with a varsity girls basketball team

After averaging more than 20 wins across 25 seasons in stops at IC Catholic, Lisle and Marian Catholic, Dan Murray stepped away from coaching girls basketball last year.

But it was a pause rather than a hard stop. Murray joined the faculty at Marmion and laid the foundation for the first girls team in the school's 93-year history.

Marmion has gone co-ed, admitting around 40 freshmen and sophomore girls this school year. The 11 who are on the girls basketball team got to work Monday as practice opened around the state.

"I'll be honest with you," Murray told the Sun-Times during a break in practice. "It was very difficult last year, not coaching and not being in it after so long. And obviously it's something I love to do. It really lets you know how much it means to you."

Marmion is adding a few other girls sports this school year and will start more next year as more girls enroll. Most will start at the junior-varsity level, but Murray and his players are jumping right into the fire. They'll play a varsity schedule and will be in Class 3A for the IHSA playoffs.

"We did want kids to know that we were taking this very seriously in terms of wanting to build a strong program," Murray said. "Hopefully kids who really love the game of basketball and aspire to do some things at the high school level and possibly beyond would take a look at us."

Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

Four players on this year's team are sophomore transfers who were granted immediate eligibility by the IHSA because of the unique circumstances.

"The hardest thing about it so far was leaving what I knew," said Brooklyn Alderton, a Montini transfer. "... But I feel like it was a great decision I made and I don't regret it."

Neither does Oswego East transfer Haley Caracci.

"I decided to come here because there's better opportunities and better academics here as well," she said.

Being heavily outnumbered by the school's male students did take some getting used to.

"It was interesting at first," said Payton Czupowski, another Montini transfer. "But I feel like all the girls, we have a community here. ... All the girls are friends and bond and they all know each other. There's no drama or anything."

Kirsten Stickney/For the Sun-Times

What's a realistic goal for what is essentially a JV team playing a varsity schedule? Murray won't put a number on it.

"Same goal that literally I've had my whole career," he said. "Honestly, my goal every single year is just to become the best team we can be come playoff time. It's a process and you want to be a tough out come playoff time, because every team is its own entity and has its own ceiling."

In the meantime, there are other goals to chase beginning on Nov. 19 when the Cadets host Tinley Park in the first game in program history.

"If we win a lot of games ... we'll show more schools around that we're better than they think we are," Caracci said.