Cowboys Basketball

After a last second three pointer by Mansfield Timberview sent the Cowboys home in last years basketball Class 5A playoffs, six seniors and a highly decorated coach stepped off the court for the last time at Coppell, with a 23-10 record that landed them second in District 7-5A to the Keller Central Chargers.

Former head coach Brad Chasteen, who accumulated 534 victories as Coppell basketball’s head honcho for 16 years, retired and is now coaching a homeschool select team. In those 16 years, the Cowboys found themselves in a postseason game in 15 of them.

Seven new seniors have laced up their high tops to replace the strong Class of 2012, which included Jett Raines, now a freshman who has cracked the starting lineup of Pepperdine University basketball team.

Ironically, former Keller Central coach Kit Pehl was hired at the end of last year to replace Chasteen. In a few short weeks, Pehl has transformed the face of Coppell Basketball. Though District 5-5A is one of the area’s toughest, the Cowboys’ season outlook remains strong.

Cowgirls Basketball

The Cowgirls have also undergone coaching changes, with new hire Ami Neff replacing 2011-2012 head coach Nicole Collins.

Neff, now entering her eighth year as head coach, has previously piloted Humble High School (2009-2012), and El Paso High School (2005-2009). While at Humble High School, Coach Neff led her squad to two playoff appearances and coached squads that boasted the district 18-4A Co-MVP and Newcomer of the Year.

Last year, the girls finished fifth in District 7-5A with a 10-19 overall record and a 4-10 clip in district play. The Cowgirls look to rebound with a young core of players that include junior post Jaidyn Phillips and junior guards Carina Zhao, Caitie Galvin and Niki Agarwal, as well as sophomore post Elena Grijalva.

The Cowgirls program has been stuck at the bottom of the standings for the past few years, but things are looking up for Neff’s team.