Summer sessions shape Lady Mavericks

June 10, 2026 by Ken Lay

Anderson County High School girls basketball Coach Mitch Cupples and the Lady Mavericks have wasted little time since the start of summer break.

The Lady Mavericks recently completed a Fellowship of Christian Athletes camp in preparation for the 2026-27 season.

“We played there on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday,” Cupples said. “We played six games and two JV games.

“We were busy last week. We’ll be busy this week and we’ll be busy the next week. We’ll have our team camp June 15-16, and we’ll go to Hoop Fest in Nashville June 18-19.”

Area high school basketball teams use the summer months to lay the groundwork for the coming season, integrate new players and help them adjust to the speed and demands of the varsity game.

“We have some freshmen who can’t practice with us until their school is out, and we use the summer to get those players used to the speed of the high school game,” Cupples said.

“That can sometimes be stressful, and I would rather them go through that now than go through that in November.”

Summer workouts also provide an opportunity for former junior varsity players to establish themselves on the varsity roster while helping coaches evaluate personnel and define roles.

“We want to find out what style that we want to play, because we’re going to be a different team than we were last year and in years past,” Cupples said. “We have some new pieces and some new players.

“And we’re looking to define roles.”

The Lady Mavericks are also using the summer schedule to gain valuable game experience against outside competition.

“Summer is a little different,” Cupples said. “You always want to win. You can play 10 to 20 games and play half to almost a whole season in three weeks. It’s officiated a little differently, and it’s a little more physical.

“Sometimes, you play two, three or four games a day and people get tired, so things can get a little chippy.”

While summer basketball is important for player development, Cupples also understands that family activities and church events remain priorities.

“Sometimes players will go on a family vacation or they’ll go to a church camp,” he said. “The easiest time in life is ages 0 to 18, and this might be the last time they can take a family vacation this time of year, or it may be the last time they can go to a church youth camp.”