Cory Coble has changed the culture and direction at one basketball program, and now he’s looking to do the same in a second.
Coble takes over at Union County after six years at Trigg County where he was twice named region coach of the year and won three straight district titles.
Unlike when he took over at Trigg County, the Union County program is two years removed from an appearance in the region championship and the groundwork is in place to continue the ascension of the program.
Coble has three starters returning from last year’s team that finished with a 15-13 record and a first-round exit from the district tournament.
Senior guard Madison Morris is attracting college offers after scoring 13 points a game last year. She is just north of 900 career points and should reach the 1,000-point mark before Christmas.
Senior Katelyn Hagan (7.8 ppg., 4.3 rebs.) and junior Ella Gough (2.0 ppg., 4.8 rebs.) will be asked to take on added roles this year. Gough led the Bravettes in rebounding while Hagan led the team with 50 three-pointers made.
Coble also has a group of players back that saw considerable time last year except for junior Jaci Curry, who is returning from a knee injury after playing seven games as a freshman.
Lillian Goodloe, Maggy Hibbs, and Annie Beaven return in the backcourt along with sophomore Paige Steward.
Coble thinks his backcourt depth will allow the Bravettes to either play up-tempo or win games with a half-court defense that can win games in the low 40s.
Coble said the summer gave him a chance to build relationships with his team while implementing new systems on both ends of the floor.
He will also be aided by former Webster County coach Brock Stone who recently joined his staff.
“Our expectations are to continue to improve each day with the goal of becoming one of the top competitors in the region,” Coble said.
Union County will open its season Monday at home against Apollo, looking to snap a seven-game losing streak to the E-Gals that dates back to 2013.
