Majors 5-1 This Season Under Courtney Coffer

Courtney Coffer’s tenure as Mount Vernon’s girls basketball head coach is going even better than expected. In 2010-11, his inaugural season, Coffer's squad defeated National District powerhouse Edison to capture the district crown.

Coaches agree that winning is easier when the team is flying under the radar. Lofty expectations aren’t present and opposing teams aren’t familiar with their players’ tendencies.

“Last year, no one even thought that we’d win 16 games,” said Coffer. “The knock against us was that we were too young and not good enough. We had a lot of locker room material last year. We built on it and posted everything negative that we saw up in our locker room.”

This season, after a challenging six-game stretch, the Majors find themselves 5-1 (2-0 National District). Their only loss came to defending Concorde District champion Oakton earlier this month. The entire 2010-11 squad returned this season and is determined to replicate their success.  

“In the Oakton game, an Oakton player elbowed Samantha Porter and knocked her tooth out to where it was dangling around in her mouth,” said Coffer.

“She didn’t want to have to leave the game so she yanked it out and threw it down. She played the entire game with her front tooth missing, and I had to get my assistant coach to find the tooth.”

Porter, a sophomore, underwent a surgical procedure to reattach the tooth and missed just two days of practice, a testament to the determination and intensity the team possesses.

Despite playing just six games this season, the Majors have already been battled-tested and squeaked out road wins over formidable opponents. The team survived a 58-56 triple overtime scare against Robinson on Dec. 20.

While the Robinson win likely ranks first among Mount Vernon players as being the most thrilling, Coffer cites another game as his.

“We went down and played my old high school, Western Branch. They finished 25-2 last year, were one game away from the state tournament, and returned their whole team,” said Coffer.

“We played a hell of a game. It was a great road win for us.”          

The Majors traveled to the tidewater region on Dec. 3 to face Western Branch. The Majors built up a 15-point lead in the contest but saw the lead slip away. Undeterred by the raucous home crowd, Mount Vernon held on for a 65-58 victory.

The Majors enter the heart of National District play on Jan. 3 against Washington-Lee. And with Edison’s early-season struggles, Mount Vernon could separate itself in the district standings by mid-January.

“We’re not the prey anymore. Last year, we were hunting teams that no one thought we could compete against,” said Coffer.

“Now we have a name and a nice little buzz about the program. We’re on the other end of the spectrum and realize that we’re going to get every opponent’s best game.”