The Weston Ranch High School girls basketball has been busy preparing for the upcoming season. This year’s team will enter the season with a new head coach, a new look, and a new hope.

Mr. Williams takes over the Lady Cougar basketball program and looks to guide the Cougars to their first winning season and their first VOL title. Williams brings a strong coaching resume to the program and hopes to stabilize a talented group of players who will see their third head coach in the last year. The Lady Cougars had two head coaches last year, the last one being Coach Bauer, who took over after previous head coach Jason Lowrey resigned before the season got underway.

Changing the culture here at Weston Ranch is a constant theme for our athletics department as several programs have a difficult time with coach retention. However, Williams is hoping his experience will lead to brighter days and big wins.

“The ladies are eager to learn to be successful,” Williams told The Prowl from the Cougar basketball offices. “Their confidence has grown with all the work they’ve put in.”

Uniformity and consistency are two things the basketball program needed to address during their first few weeks together. Part of these issues will be solved by the coaching staff Williams has assembled. Five of the six basketball coaches are on campus or in MUSD, which makes a massive difference for the players because on-campus coaches can monitor grades, attitude, and team building during the day.

Changing the culture has also meant building the brand. In addition to the on-court activities, Williams has involved the campus in a rigorous campaign to support the program through fundraising and the selling of Cougar basketball apparel.

Coach Williams says, “My goal is to promote the program on and off the court and see the girls successful both academically and athletically.”

Hoping to use these strategies will be the players, obviously, and Williams said there are several players the campus and the VOL should be ready to notice. Darnaysha Huff and Jennalyn Laminero return from last year’s team and newcomer Dearri Ross will bring experience and depth. All three players give the Lady Cougars a distinguished group to move forward with and an excellent foundation to build upon the future with.

So, with all of this, the Cougars have set the bar high. The expectations for the varsity team is a winning record, a top-4 finish in the VOL, and to make it to playoffs.

“It all depends on how well the girls mesh together and adjust to the new system, it is a positive possibility that it can happen,” says Coach Williams.

He’s been pleased with the way that the girls responded and trusted him from getting back into coaching after taking a few years off coaching at the college level. Tomorrow, the Cougars hit the road for a scrimmage at Ripon High Scool, and the Cougars will get a first look at the success their work has produced.