THE LIGHTS are blinding. The crowd’s roar is deafening. Over 3,000 people fill Coffee County Central High School’s gym, which feels more like a college arena than a high school court. The Lady Raiders charge onto the hardwood, fired up to play the game like it’s their last. Leading the charge is coach Joe Pat Cope.
Basketball brought him here, but what keeps him is the heart, the people, and the place he calls home.
After a stint at Ole Miss, Cope found himself drawn back to the Volunteer State. He said coaching college ball was exciting, but after a few seasons, he realized he was destined to coach at the high school level.
Manchester wasn’t far from where he grew up in White County, Tennessee, but the welcome he received — and the love the community had for the team — was beyond anything he expected.
“It’s better than I could ever imagine.”
Since taking the reins in 2018, Cope has led the Lady Raiders to unprecedented heights — eight consecutive district titles and the only two regional tournament championships in the school’s history.
But aside from the accolades, the heart and soul of the program — the bond between players, the pride of the town, and the generational impact — sets it apart.
Coffee County doesn’t just cheer for its girls — it believes in them.
In his second year with the program, Cope faced one of the toughest moments of his coaching career.
The Lady Raiders had gone undefeated in district play all season, only to lose on a controversial half-court foul call at the buzzer. The gym went silent, and Cope expected disappointment.
But when they left the locker room, 400 fans stood waiting with a standing ovation. That was the moment he knew — Manchester was home.
When the Lady Raiders punched their ticket back to the state tournament last season, they didn’t just hop on a yellow school bus like most high school sports teams. They had a full police escort and a charter bus waiting outside of town.
“That’s what NFL teams get,” Cope said. “It [the team] means something here.”
The girls give it back in full. Practices are intense — 10,000 shots a week drilled into muscle memory.
But they love it.
“We spend so much time together, they’re part of our family,” he said.
“You’d think they’d be tired, but this weekend, my seniors were on a houseboat posting about their ‘Lady Raiders senior season.’ They’re all in.”
That buy-in starts young. Cope and the Lady Raiders staff run summer camps for third graders and up, and they recognize elementary teams at home games.
It’s not uncommon to hear a third grader yelling, “Bella Vinson for three!” as she mimics her hero. The Lady Raiders are role models and hometown icons in a program where young girls grow up dreaming of wearing red and white.
At home, Cope’s 4-year-old son is already living that dream, spending hours launching jumpers on his little basketball goal — channeling Stephen Curry, Natalie Barnes, or Olivia Vinson, depending on the day.
Cope remembered one game as if it happened yesterday. In a packed district matchup during his third season, the Lady Raiders were down by one with 1.2 seconds left. Cope called a timeout, drew up a last-chance play, and they launched the ball the length of the court.
It landed in the hands of Bella Vinson, the all-time leading scorer, who spun and sank a Christian Laettner-style jumper at the buzzer.
“The place went crazy,” Cope recalled. “You just don’t have games like that.”
As for the future, Cope is clear on the legacy he wants to leave.
“I hope people remember how my teams played and how much it meant to the community. I hope they say, ‘Coach Cope loved the game, but he loved his players more.’”
And here in Coffee County, that love is re- turned — loud, proud, and full of fire. GN
