CCHS starts from scratch

Ron Counts, Staff Writer
Published: December 1, 2008

The opening of Eastern View has forced most Culpeper High School coaches to scrap what they’re used to doing and find new ways to stay competitive in the tough Cedar Run District.

The same is true for the new CCHS girls basketball coach Katie Shaw.

“Everyone has been really supportive so far,” the 23-year-old Buffalo, NY native said. “But there are so many things that have to happen before an offense can work.”

The Devilettes are pretty light on experience this year — only boasting two seniors and at least three freshmen — so Shaw has recruited a couple speedsters to try to create some fast-break opportunities.

Freshman Ebony Brown and sophomore DeNae Rogers — both of whom run track — have joined the Devilettes to force opposing defenses to figure out how to deal with their speed.

“We have some great athletes,” Shaw said. “The energy and the vibe have been good, but the girls know I’m going to get on them during the season.”

Shaw expects the speedy duo to create some points this season, but she knows that her young team can’t only rely on fast breaks if they hope to find success this season.

“We’re really going to focus on conditioning and defense,” the Test Coordinator at CCHS said. “We don’t have very many parameter shooters, so defense is going to be extremely important.”

If it seems like Culpeper’s new coach already has a pretty good feel for her young team, it’s probably thanks to the well-attended offseason workouts the Devilettes held.

About 13 girls met on the court at CCHS for open-gym workouts once or twice a week since September. The hoopsters did five on five drills, worked on shooting and ran plenty of sprints during their sessions.

Virginia High School League rules kept Shaw from actually coaching her players during the workouts, but she said the gym time was still very valuable.

“They (the workouts) gave us an idea of what we need to work on,” she said. “And we got to see what each girl brings to the court.”

The Devilettes only won seven games with a much more experienced roster last season, so Shaw knows her girls have their work cut out for them if there’s any hope of improving on that win total.

“Dedication is a big thing,” the former Division-I tennis player at Niagra University said. “We have to have good time-management skills and the girls have to have the drive to be the best.”

Shaw has spent most of her life playing for, and coaching with, her father who has coached basketball for 25 years, so she feels prepared for whatever her first year as a head coach at the high school level brings.

“As a coach, you can’t get too high on the wins or too low on the losses,” she said. “Things can always be worse, but eventually they always get better.”

Ron Counts can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 166 or

Follow the Devilettes?
Who: CCHS vs. Battlefield
When: Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Culpeper High School

* CCHS roster was not available at press time

Devilettes’ schedule
Dec. 2: vs. Battlefield,
7:30 p.m.
Dec. 5: at Orange, 6 p.m.
Dec. 6: at Orange, 6 p.m.
Dec. 12: at Stonewall Jackson, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 16: vs. Osbourn,
7:30 p.m.
Dec. 17: vs. James Monroe, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 19: at Liberty, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 22: at EVHS, 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 27: at Charlottesville, 3:30 p.m.
Dec. 39: Holiday tourney
Dec. 30: Holiday tourney
Jan. 6: at Fauquier, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 7: at James Monroe,
7:30 p.m.
Jan. 9: vs Loudon Valley,
7:30 p.m.
Jan. 13: at Osbourn Park, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 16: at Battlefield,
7:30 p.m.
Jan. 23: vs. Stonewall Jackson, 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 27: at Osbourn,
7:30 p.m.
Jan. 30: vs Liberty, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 3: vs. Fauquier, 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 6: at Loudon Valley,
7:30 p.m.
Feb. 10: vs. Osbourn Park,
7:30 p.m.
Feb. 13: Cedar Run tourney
Feb. 18: Cedar Run tourney
Feb. 20: Cedar Run tourney