receptive to new styles and approaches and ways to

receptive to new styles and approaches and ways to analyze the game.”

“There is a lot of talent on this team,” he continued, “and more depth than we have had in a long time. We have height with a good blend of quickness.”

He said that the current weaknesses are “passing and shot selection. Both can be cured with a few more hours practice on and off the court.”

He noted that most of the girls on the team are good students with the team grade point average above 3.0. “They have picked up most aspects of the game very quickly,” he said. “We don’t need to practice the same things over and over. We have a wide variety of defenses and offenses, and not once have I introduced something and decided they’re not ready for it.”

Thirteen students had been selected for the team, and there are two openings to be filled by the end of this w’eek. Of the 13, five are seniors, five are juniors and three are sophomores. Certain starters are Leah Marlett, returning for her fourth year on varsity, and Susan and Bonnie Jewell, returning for their third year. There are five additional players returning from last year’s team, one returning from the team two years ago, three moving up from the junior varsity and one senior “walk on,” Coach Leake said.

He said he expects to select his other two starters from seniors Deitrich Beaver and Marsha Freeman and sophomores Laura McNear and Cari Kerr. After they played well in the scrimmage he said he also expects Janet Hitt, Patti Atkins and' Jessica Arnold will see a lot of playing time. The three other team members, Courtney Welch, Tracey Hitt, and Jessica Jacobs “are each working to gain the experience needed to play,” he said.

Coach Leake is looking forward to a large turnouts for the girls’ games. “We want to change the attitude towards Rappahannock girls’ basketball in the community and the district,” he said.

The girls’ JV and varsity basketball teams will face Page County in home games Thursday.