Former DCHS Girls Basketball Coach Joe Pat Cope was announced as the new girls’ basketball coach at Coffee County Central High School in a Friday morning press release. Coach Cope met with the returning members of the Lady Raider basketball team on Friday morning at CHS. Cope comes to Coffee County after serving as an assistant coach at Ole Miss for the last year under Matt Insell. Prior to his stint at Ole Miss, Cope served as an assistant girls coach at Riverdale High School and the head girls’ varsity coach at DeKalb County High School. Cope also served as an assistant boys’ basketball coach at Lebanon High School. Cope is a two-time graduate of Tennessee Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Arts degree.
When asked about his reaction upon getting the call with the job offer, Cope could not hide the excitement in his voice. “I am very excited,” said Cope. “Coffee County can be a very prestigious program again. With the talent that is there, and the talent that is coming, this is a special opportunity.” Since his interview on May 5th, Cope has been gathering information about current middle school and high school players in the Coffee County and Manchester school systems. “I expect us to begin competing this summer” added Cope.
Dr. Joey Vaughn, Coffee County CHS principal, was ecstatic with Cope’s acceptance of the job. “I was very pleased with the number and quality of applicants that applied(for the position). During the interview process, Mr. Cope showed a genuine interest in our basketball program, community and players” added Vaughn. Dr. Vaughn went on to say “His experiences can help advance our program to the next level. He has experience at a great high school program, a strong AAU program and a quality SEC program. Coach Cope demonstrated a commitment to building and developing players through strong fundamentals and a tireless work ethic. He was also very familiar with the history and current state of Lady Raider basketball.”
Raider athletic director Ryan Sulkowski echoed many of the sentiments of Dr. Vaughn. “Coach Cope will bring great experience and excitement to the Lady Raiders and we are looking forward to him getting started.”
Cope will begin the transition from Ole Miss immediately and expects to be completely relocated to Coffee County by the end of the school year. “I will talk to Coach Insell and offer my assistance in helping my replacement” said Cope. “I expect to have tryouts as soon as school is out” added Cope. Cope also intends to begin the task of adding assistant coaches immediately. Cope is the proud father of a 12 year-old daughter, Reagan. Cope will also be a guest on the Coffee Coaches Show on Saturday, May 20th.
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