COSBY-The Cosby Lady Eagles have finished up their spring practice and scrimmage sessions, and head coach Richard Coggins is breathing a sigh of relief.

"I've got to tell you that I wasn't sure what we were going to have going into the Spring," said coach Coggins. "We lost five of our regular players from last season, and we're only going to have one returning starter. Not only that, but we've only got one senior this year and just a few juniors. So, we're going to play a lot of freshmen and sophomores."

Gone are four-year starting point guard Whitney Hartsell, three-point specialist Stevie Gorrell, defensive specialists Preanna Davis and Kalsea Mantooth, and rebounders Amy Hunt and Megan Tinker. Despite the loss of these five graduating seniors, coach Coggins is upbeat following his spring program.

"We're a lot better than I thought," said coach Coggins. "Last year in spring camp, we were 2-13 in game we played. This spring we lost only three games, to Powell, Middlesboro, Kentucky and Harlan, Kentucky. We beat University High, and they have all five starters back. We beat William Blount, Claiborne, Murfreesboro, and Heritage. We beat some good teams, and we only played one Class 1A school in the bunch. We had 16 girls this spring, and I was impressed."

The lone senior and starter returning for the Lady Eagles is Brittany Frisbee, who transferred to Cosby before the start of last season.

"Brittany was a big addition to our team last season," said coach Coggins. "She is so talented and a force inside. And I really think she is going to be even better for us in the coming season. She had a really good spring."

The loss of Whitney Hartsell at the point may be played down just a bit with the return of point guard Alyssa McMahan, who is entering her junior year.

"You can make a lot of comparisons between the two," said coach Coggins. "Alyssa jumped right into our program last season after transferring from Cocke County. She got a lot of playing time last season because she's that good. She learned a lot from Whitney, and I'm comfortable with her at the point. Alyssa's got speed and is not afraid to drive in the paint if there's an opening. We're lucky to have her.

Coach Coggins was also impressed with the play of rising junior Brooklyn Stuart.

"Brooklyn really stepped it up this spring," said coach Coggins. "She's really dedicated to the program, and she just keeps getting better. I'm liking her work ethic. She's going to be important to us."

Having to play a lot of sophomores and freshman doesn't seem to bother coach Coggins.

"I'm really high on this incoming group of freshmen we have," said coach Coggins. "After working with them this spring, I believe that at least three of them are going to get a lot of playing time, and one or two of them may be good enough to start.

"We're definitely going to be young," said coach Coggins, "and we may even struggle a bit down the road. But we still have our sights set on winning our district again this year, and then we'll go from there."

The Lady Eagles, since joining District 2A two seasons ago are undefeated.

The Lady Eagles finished up the spring last Friday and Saturday by hosting Walker Valley and their legendary coach David Tucker.

"This is the second straight year we've done that," said coach Coggins. "We bring them up, put them in a nice cabin with a swimming pool, feed them really well, including a barbeque on Saturday evening. It's a nice little weekend getaway for them, but a learning experience for us. We scrimmage and practice together both days. Coach Tucker has really opened up to us and taught us a bunch. He's one of the top coaches in the state and his knowledge of the game is incredible."

The idea of bringing Walker Valley to Cosby came from Cosby High School Principal Dr. Paul Webb. Dr. Webb and coach Tucker are old friends. They played against each other in high school, and then were teammates at Hiwassee College in Madisonville.

"We've been blessed," said coach Coggins. "To have these to guys working with us is really a blessing. Dr. Webb, you know, can play, I mean he can play the game, even today. Picking his and coach Tuckers knowledge is making us a better team."

Now, everyone gets a break, the players and the coaches."

Dr. Webb, by the way, is in the Hiwassee College Sports Hall of Fame.

"We won't come back together as a team until just before school starts," said coach Coggins. "We're going to let the families get all of their vacations taken care of and then, probably a week before school starts, we'll get together for a weekend camping trip. We did it last year and the girls really loved it. We just get together as a team, do some camping and some swimming, and we feed them real well. We just have a lot of fun. But it also allows us to bond a little bit."

After that, they'll wait a few months before going full bore into a new season.

"We'll have tryouts on November 1," said coach Coggins. "That's going to be tough because I really don't like making cuts. We'll see what happens, though, and then we'll go to work."