On paper, this season should not be a good one for the Brentsville District girls varsity basketball team.

The Tigers have only one returner from the 2010-11 season, senior forward Chai Fuller.

She just also so happens to be the only one on the eight-member roster with any varsity experience.

One player has never even been on a high school basketball team.

A new coach, Tim Brown, is leading Brentsville too in a district that includes defending Group AA state champion Liberty.

Yet, according to Fuller, the Tigers' goal is to make a run through the playoffs.

"We’re going in with the same mentality" as before, she said. "Go hard or go home."

Brentsville has reason to believe that there is a path at least to the regional playoffs. Two of the five teams in the Evergreen District are guaranteed to make it to the Region II tournament. One of them will almost certainly be Liberty.

The other is the spot Brown said his team has a decent shot at claiming.

"I would love to get second in the district." explained the coach. "I want to compete for that second spot. It seems reasonable in a five-team district."

According to his scouting, Warren County could be tough this year but Fauquier and Kettle Run should provide the Tigers at least an even shot at tallying some wins.

Then there is the out-of-district competition that could benefit Brentsville competitively even if the Tigers are not favored to win.

Brown singed Brentsville up for six games against Group AAA schools. What the coach is banking on is that the exposure against stronger opponents will give the Tigers much-needed experience so that, come tournament time, they'll be ready for whatever their district foes have to offer.

"You know they're going to be tough," he said.

After dropping a pre-season game to Tuscarora, Brown mentioned that his team learned that adjusting to pressure is one area where Brentsville needed improvement.

So he had his team run dribbling and blocking exercises while he held a large orange pad that would be more commonly associated with a football drill.

The idea was for them to get used to weaving in and around traffic, to prepare for a more physical approach to the game.

"You've got to be able to get around somebody that's going to be leaning against you," said Brown.

That is something that potentially plays well into the Tigers' set-up too.

"We prefer contract drills," said Fuller.

Leading the charge for the Brentsville offense this year is Haleigh Kilby, who "goes hard" at point guard, according to Fuller.

An all-around athlete who also plays softball and volleyball, the sophomore "does not stop for anything," said her senior teammate.

Joining Fuller in the post, Dakota Edwards showed leadership in the pre-season, according to Brown, leading her teammates to select her as a co-captain, along with Fuller.

Senior forward Jenna Cancio has an "ability to make those mid-range jump shots," like during the earlier scrimmage, said Brown.

"She's got really long arms," the coach added, mentioning that she will play in the middle during 2-3 setups.

At 5-foot-8, "she's going to be the only one that can block shots" on a consistent basis, the coach said. He reasoned that her ability to do so effectively comes because she knows how to "crown the ball she somebody shoots."

Guard Ashley Winslow has the hot hand on the team at the moment, leading Brown to dub her the Tigers' best shooter with a "decent pump fake."

He explained that her feet are set in shooting position from the time she receives a pass, which hastens her transition speed.

She and her sister, guard Becca Winslow, could be seen constantly at open gym dates throughout the pre-season, working on whatever drills they deemed necessary to get ready for the fall and winter.

"Those two were here all the time," said Brown.

In order to make up for a lack of varsity experience, Brentsville will need each player to pay particularly close attention to details, especially when it comes to executing fundamentals.

In that regard, senior Kelsey Egan "could teach boxing out as a class," said Brown.

As a defender, Brown said that Egan demonstrated that she is willing to go all-out, diving on the floor and otherwise providing a steady position on the floor.

Newest to the program is senior Lakin Engman, a friend of Fuller's who signed up about two weeks before practices despite not having played in high school previously, according to the coach.

"She wanted to try something new and where else in Northern Virginia can you do that" and make varsity, said Brown.

Brentsville's season begins Nov. 28 in Manassas against Osbourn with the home opener set for Dec. 5 against Patriot. The regular season ends on Feb. 9 with a home match against Kettle Run.