River Bluff girls basketball coach Jordan Leath has some lofty goals in his first season with the Gators. 

Despite struggling in recent years, Leath is confident that his rebuilt Gators squad can compete with any of the top teams in the state, and he’s excited to watch them prove it. 

“ I think we're one of the, I'd say, top five programs in the state,” Leath said. “That's being honest and humble at the same time, but it's up to us to go prove it.”

That’s a lot of confidence for a coach taking over a team that went (8-20) last season and has one region win over the past two seasons. But a closer look shows, Leath may not be so crazy. 

The Gators added a significant amount of talent via transfers in the offseason and retained their best pieces from last season. The players have bought into Leath’s coaching philosophies and are meshing well together, leading up to the season. 

“ I'm really excited because the past few years we really haven't had too much,” returning junior Jenna Johnson said.  ”I feel like now, with what we are going into the season with skill-wise, I think it's gonna be a lot more fun.”

Leath is being tasked with reviving the Gators program and turning them into a competitor in a tough region. He has experience building up a program, coming from his last stop at Lexington’s Northside Christian. 

There, he led the Crusaders to their most successful stretch in program history, winning 37 games in two seasons. 

“ The opportunity of being able to be at a 5A school in this type of region alone, and knowing the talent that was already here and the talent that I think possibly could come, it was just too hard to pass up,” Leath said. “ I felt like the lord was calling me to come across the street.”

To change the culture, Leath implemented a number of changes in the Gator program. They had a full summer program with workouts and camps for younger players, who could one day play varsity ball. The team began working out and having practice every day during the week and sometimes came in before school to work.

“There are some times, you’ve got to undo some things,” Leath said. “ When you are undoing some of the prior culture before, there's always tension. There's always resistance, but if it were easy, anybody could do it. “

The players have already adapted to the new normal and are excited to be doing so. The group wants to finally start winning games and understands the work that goes into that. 

“I’m excited for people to see this new era of River Bluff,” junior Powell Anne Dozier said. “ This year, it's gonna be hype. People are going to be there, people are going to want to watch us.”

Players like Johnson and Dozier are carryovers from the previous River Bluff team. They have stepped into a leadership role to help their new transfer teammates get acclimated. 

Three SCISA All-State players followed Leath from Northside. Campbell Childers, Evie Godfrey and Chaelyn Tifre were the backbones of last season’s 20-win Northside team. Now, they’re at River Bluff looking to bring that success with them. 

Lexington transfer Gabby Dunat knows what it takes to win in the region, coming from a Wildcats program that consistently finishes at the top of the conference. 

“ Because I'm new, I’m bringing a different aspect like ‘Hey, this is what I saw when I was going against you.’ It kind of gives that different perspective,” Dunat said. 

The mesh of new and returning players has been seamless so far, Leath and his players said. The group gets along both on and off the court, making things easier. 

While Leath has high expectations for the season, he said no matter the results, this year has been a success, just from a program-building standpoint. 

 ”The No. 1 goal is to come in and get people excited, change the culture,” Leath said. “ If we competed and put our best foot forward this year and we came up short, I wouldn't call it a failure.”

The girls’ focus is a bit more narrow. They aren’t eyeing individual accolades, personal success or increased stats. They just want to win and do it together. 

“Go big or go home,” Dozier said. “We want to win state.”