Riverdale girls basketball coach Amy Josephson gets early look at new team at MTSU camp

Four days.

That's the amount of time first-year coach Amy Josephson had with her Riverdale girls basketball team before embarking on camp at MTSU this week.

Josephson, who was hired last week to take over for three-time state champion coach Randy Coffman, didn't have much time to get the team adjusted to her system before playing a top-notch camp schedule.

"It's hard to step in and not being able to put in your system," said Josephson, who came to Riverdale from Moore County, where she took her squad to the Class A state tournament last year. "Most of the other coaches here have 17 set plays, and you have three.

"But I'm glad (to face competition so quickly). We've got to learn each other's tendencies and find out what we're good at and what we need to work on."

A lot has changed with the Lady Warriors since this time last year when they were at MTSU's camp.

The now three-time defending Class AAA state champions have graduated three starters (all Division I signees), one of the top players off the bench and lost Coffman, who took a position at a new private school in East Tennessee.

Riverdale went 5-4 during the four-day camp against the likes of Mt. Juliet, Bradley Central, Arlington, Morristown West, Macon County and Lebanon, among others.

That record might not wow folks, especially when the team won more than 100 games in the past three seasons and finished ranked in the top two in the nation twice.

However, considering the circumstances, the young Lady Warrior squad - which started two freshmen — aren't very concerned.

"We just have to learn how to get used to each other," said Riverdale junior Alasia Hayes. "We have a brand new scheme. We have to be able to play together. The young players will step up."

Hayes' younger sister, Acacia, is one of the freshmen who started. Acacia's teammate at Christiana, post player Garen Haney, was the other.

"We're getting used to each other," said Riverdale senior and first-year starter Jalyn Holcomb. "I think (the camp) was good timing. We need to learn how to play together with a new coach. It's a good opportunity."

Riverdale won its final two games Thursday, coming from nine down early to down Morristown West 56-40 and following that with a three-point win over Macon County. 

Senior point guard and team leader Aislynn Hayes sat out those games with a sore back, but Josephson hinted it was nothing serious.

"She tweaked her back before camp and fell on it yesterday," Josephson said. "It was more just precaution."

Reach Cecil Joyce at cjoyce@dnj.com or 615-278-5168 and on Twitter @Cecil_Joyce.