With just one loss against Northern Region teams in the last two seasons, four regional titles in the last 10 years, a handful of state Final Fours and a coach narrowing in on 500 wins—400 at one school—the Oakton girls basketball team is the definition of a Juggernaut.

The program has produced one of the top college basketball players in the nation (Jasmine Thomas, Duke) and has a group of four upperclassmen this season, two of whom—Zora Stephenson and Danielle Davis—will be playing Division 1 college basketball next year and two—Caroline and Katherine Coyer—who are likely to follow in their footsteps a year from now.

The common thread running through all that success is coach Fred Priester, who is in his 17th season coaching the Cougars. Oakton Patch visited a recent Oakton practice to help provide some insight into just how Priester brings out the best in his athletes.

Writer & audio: Dan Friedell
Photographer: Max Steinmetz