The Pickett County Bobcats girls basketball team enters the upcoming season with a new voice leading the program, but the same expectations that have defined their recent success.
Brittany Cooper takes over as head coach following Brent Smith’s transition to athletic director at Pickett County High School. Cooper previously coached softball at Clarkrange before accepting the basketball role over the summer. Cooper said she is thrilled with the chance to guide a program built on tradition.
“I’m very blessed to have this opportunity,” Cooper said. “I’m very excited to be in Pickett County and to be with this group of girls. Since the move, I’ve had nothing but great experiences and open arms so I’m very blessed to be in the position that I’m in.”
Cooper inherits a team coming off a district championship and regional semifinal run. Cooper said she does not plan to overhaul what worked, but rather focus on the same style that Pickett County has built on for more than a decade.
“I just think it’s very important to keep my team disciplined,” Cooper said. “[I want to] continue building upon the legacy that Coach Smith started.”
The Bobcats return most of their team heading into this season. Cooper said the fuel also returned from a team a few wins short of a state championship.
“I think that you just continue and carry over that momentum that we had at Pickett County last season and continue to carry that on into this season,” Cooper said. “My girls are very hungry to get going this year and so that makes me very excited as a coach to get started.”
Brittany Cooper will make her Pickett County coaching debut November 18th on the road against Smith County.
