Warrior girls basketball deep in players, coaching staff

The 2012-13 girls basketball season will be Dan Bachman’s third as Fallbrook High School’s varsity coach, but it was the first in which he had to make cuts during tryouts.

A total of 32 girls sought berths on the Warriors’ varsity and junior varsity teams. After tryouts Nov. 10 and Nov. 12, Bachman cut six girls Nov. 12 and Nov. 13.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” he said. “That means you’re having more and more girls try out.”

Bachman kept 11 players on the varsity roster and 15 on the junior varsity squad. “I have no doubt all 11 can play,” he said of his varsity team. “Also a good and bad thing to have.”

The good part of that is that he can substitute players without a significant loss of ability, but only five of those players can be on the court at any given time. “It’s hard to get anyone playing time,” Bachman said.

Some of the players will be inserted into the game for specific situations. “Everyone can kind of fulfill a role, which is really important,” Bachman said.

Fallbrook lost two senior starters from the 2011-12 team: center Kaylie Drew and point guard Kayla Southard. “Replacing those positions is going to be very important,” Bachman said.

Southard’s father, Chris, will return as one of the Warriors’ varsity assistant coaches this year. Chris Southard was Fallbrook’s junior varsity coach two years ago before becoming a varsity assistant for 2011-12.

Last year Tony Morrow was Fallbrook’s junior varsity coach. This year Morrow will also be a varsity assistant. Four of Morrow’s junior varsity players who helped the Warriors post a 20-4 record and share last year’s league championship will be on this year’s varsity. Ken Pilbin will coach the Warriors’ junior varsity this year.

“There’s a lot of continuity with the program still even though I’m working my way back,”

Bachman said.

During the summer, Bachman was diagnosed with melanoma on the bottom of his foot. A skin graft was performed July 11, but that surgery did not come to fruition. A second skin graft surgery was performed Nov. 15. Bachman was present for the tryouts but did not return to the team until Nov. 27, and Morrow ran the open gym sessions in September and October. “They’ve been kind of running things,” Bachman said of his assistant coaches.

Bachman received daily reports from his staff. “We’re working really hard. We’re seeing significant improvement,” he said.

The Warriors had five wins in four years before finishing 12-13 in 2011-12, so the Warriors’ record improved from Bachman’s first season to his second. “We’re very confident that we can improve it again,” he said.

Last year the Warriors won the Imperial Valley Tournament; this year the Warriors won’t have an out-of-town tournament but has back-to-back games in the Big Bear area in late December and will use that road trip for team bonding.

The team bonding activity is for the players to work together better, but they have already bonded with Bachman as he learned during the support they gave him during his recovery process. “It was a very special thing,” he said. “Just the amount of care and support that they shared was pretty meaningful for me.”