Girls basketball: Coppell finding ways to win

With a roster chalked full of youth that is entering its third consecutive season under the direction of a new head coach, the non-district portion of the season has an added importance for Coppell's girls basketball team.

Fortunately for the Cowgirls, life in the six-team District 5-5A will provide additional opportunities for the squad to develop the consistency and continuity head coach Ami Neff believes will get Coppell (6-9) on the right track.

Thus far, results have been mixed, but that could be expected for such an inexperienced group.

"We're looking to be more consistent and do a better job of executing," Neff said. "We were extremely young last year and this season we have a lot of sophomores and juniors on the team. Even some of the players that are seniors or were on varsity some last year were kind of bouncing back-and-forth. So we're working on that chemistry and being consistent. We've seen it a lot, but it can still improve, and we need to find a way to win close games. A lot of times we've been right there and haven't been able to finish."

Coppell's lack of experience has also manifested itself on the defensive end, where Neff believes in employing multiple looks.

"In the past, I think they ran a lot of man-to-man," she said. "But we want to be able to run zones and traps and have a variety of tools in the toolbox. A lot of our preseason has been devoted to learning those styles."

Already Neff has seen improvements in both areas and is hopeful that progress continues to manifest itself.

"Early on, we had a lot of single-digit losses and we've pulled out some of those close wins recently," she said. "I also didn't think we did a great job of rebounding early, but we made a concentrated effort on it and we've seen improvements. The girls are very intelligent and smart. They're eager to learn and have put in the work, which has been a big help."

Coppell also possesses a versatile roster than can play a variety of styles, which has eased Neff's transition.

"From season to season, we adjust to our personnel," she said. "But traits that we want to consistently employ are being sound in fundamentals, rebounding well, pushing the tempo and be able to use different looks on defense. But we're always going to try and put the team in successful situations and adapt each season."

Coppell's seniors include move-in point guard Kalah Jiggetts (Cedar Hill), guard Sydney Overman, guard Rachel Mulumba and returning guard Kara Williamson.

"We have a senior that transferred in and a senior that wasn't on varsity but we're already seeing the seniors provide that leadership and guidance," Neff said. "They're trying to teach good habits and show the way and are doing a good job of that."

Juniors include returning guard Carina Zhao, returning guard Caitie Galvan, guard Niki Agarwal and post Jaidyn Phillips. The rest of the roster includes sophomore posts Elena Grijalva (returning), Adaiwu Nwaiwu and Emily Friis-Hansen.

"I feel like we have good depth," Neff said. "We definitely don't give up a lot of ground when we have to make substitutions. Our bench is strong and we also have two girls that can kind of play a utility role and do some different things. All of our matchups so far we have started with three guards and two posts. But that could change depending on who we are playing because we have some good size."

Phillips and Grijalva have not only provided a presence on the interior but have led the Cowgirls in scoring. Nwaiwu and Friis-Hansen also fit into the rotation. Grijalva has paced the team on the boards early.

"We're lucky to have four solid options and have some nice size in the post," Neff said. "We've relied heavily on our posts for scoring but we also want to be balanced and be able to shoot from the outside. We have to have great screens and can't be afraid to dump it in for them to kick it back out."

In the backcourt, Jiggetts is the primary point guard with support from Zhao.

"We want all five girls on the court to be contributors," Neff said. "Jiggets is the point guard and Carina starts and can help out there. Carina is also great at driving to the basket, while Caitie can really heat up from outside. Really, our guards kind of take turns. Last Friday, it was Sydney Overman who was shooting it very well."

Coppell has also made progress in limiting its turnovers.

"Early on, we really struggled against the press but that really hasn't proven to be an issue lately," Neff said.

At 6-9, Coppell has a little work to do to reach its goal of finishing above .500. The Cowgirls are also hopeful to be one of the four programs to make the playoffs out of 5-5A.

"We have a lot of goals but it starts with being competitive every night and trying to make the playoffs," Neff said. "Every team in our district is going to be competitive though. I've already gotten a chance to see Marcus and Flower Mound and they're both playing extremely well. It's going to be a tough game every night."

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