Overcoming preseason pressure

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Coppell junior guard Landry Sherrer shoots a free throw at Argyle on Friday. The Cowgirls play Byron Nelson in their first home game of the season tonight at 7:30 p.m. at CHS Arena. Photo courtesy Lindsey Sherrer.

The Coppell girls basketball team hosts its first home game since its state semifinal run.  

The Cowgirls play Byron Nelson tonight at 7:30 p.m. at CHS Arena. 

So far in its preseason, Coppell has faced Argyle and Waco La Vega over the weekend, falling short in both games. 

However, the Cowgirls have little time to linger, playing 15 more games in November alone, seven of which are scheduled against teams that advanced to playoffs last year as well.  

“When we put the season together, we always want our nondistrict to be tougher than the district season,” assistant coach Willis Tran said. “District games are the ones that matter so we want to make sure that whatever we’re doing it’s preparing us for district.”

According to senior guard Ella Spiller, one of the main lessons from the past two games is one of comparison. Spiller said over the weekend players felt the need to produce another successful season, but realized they do not need to compare themselves to last year’s team. 

“We aren’t last year’s team,” Tran said. “We’re going to coach them the same, but the expectation for us is never wins or going to state; it’s helping our culture. It’s all about our process and doing things the right way–as long as we’re doing that, we’re good.”

According to Tran, another change this year is having several ball handlers, depending on the team’s opponent. Last year’s primary ball handler was 2023 graduate Jules LaMendola, but this year the coaches look to multiple players, such as senior guards Atia Medinica and Jade Davis. 

Though the roles on the team are different, the culture and coaching process remains the same as the Cowgirls prepare for their game tonight. 

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Originally posted 2023-11-07 17:47:33.