Lady Vikings Coach John Cope

John Cope, Valley girls' basketball coach, had a little surprise last season. "Last year was a shock to my system. We had three section championships in a row, finished in the playoffs four years in a row, [but the] last year we lost six seniors—four of them four-year starters," he says.

"It's very difficult to rebound from that. We finished out of the playoffs last year. I think our record was 7-14." The season is, Cope says, going “pretty much as I expected. We’re about right where I thought we’d be."

Playing up to the level of success enjoyed by previous teams is a difficult challenge. But the coach has seen the team working at getting better at filling the shoes of the record-setting stellar athletes who graduated.

“It's always been about improvement. For the last two years, not being blessed with the phenomenal talent we’ve had in the past," explains Cope, "these girls have to work hard and they have to focus on what they can do. And that’s improved game-by-game, one rebound at a time, one box-out at a time, and one defensive stop at a time. A lot of coaches can sit there and say 'oh yeah, we can contend for the section or we can get into the playoffs;' I’m more realistic I just want the girls to improve. If I see improvement I’m happy." Lady Vikings girls' Coach John Cope tells you who his girls are in the video in the webcasts at Alle-Kiski Today Online.