But, Voorhees said, Manwanng improves “every day.” Two players,

But, Voorhees said, Manwanng improves “every day.”

Two players, Melissa Moore and Annette Fletcher, came out for basketball for the first time late last week. Both are seniors.

In addition to coaching here for the first time and going into district play with blinders shielding his eyes Voorhees is also coaching plays and techniques that are new to the players.

“I’m not going with anything that’s ever been done before” at Rappahannock, he said.

But the girls seem to be responding. They take home diagrams of plays and memorize them for use in the next day’s practice. “And I like that,” said the coach.

He knows his team will rebound well and the team’s “passing has improved from the first practice,” but “ball handling is probably our poorest” facet of the game.

Being short of depth, Voorhees said the team has been working hard in the preseason, dropping plenty of sweat on the gym floor during the hot, August afternoons.

The players will,, log large amounts of playing time this year. “That’s why I’m pushing them now,” Voorhees said.

Voorhees is also introducing man-to-man defense.

“That’s hard work,” he says. “Nobody wants to play defense, it seems. Everybody wants to shoot the ball.”

But in a league like the Bull Run District — where both players-ofthe-year return in 1985 — stopping the opponent will be a necessary ingredient for winning.

Last year, Clarke County defeated Strasburg in the tournament finals. And while Strasburg lost four starters from its team last year, it returns Tammy Pence, co-MVP, and promotes to the varsity members from its unbeaten jay vee team.

Clarke County, on the other hand, returns four key players and is talking about reaching the state tournament.

So the future is very much uncertain for Voorhees and his team.

But the coach indicated his team is improving daily and said: “All in all, I like this bunch.”