When some head coaches take over a new program, it can be a long process to get things headed in the desired direction. Oftentimes, there’s a buffer period where good habits and culture are established. For new Dutch Fork girls basketball coach Candace Bush, she inherited a group that has already established some of those winning habits.

The Silver Foxes were one of the most impressive teams at the SC Live Team Camp in Rock Hill over the weekend. On the last day, they demolished Wilson 54-26 and then pulled off a comeback 35-30 win against J.L. Mann in the finale.

In the Wilson game, they got scoring contributions from eight different players including 15 from rising junior Taylor Monroe.

The performance in Rock Hill was already an improvement from previous scrimmages over the summer according to Bush, who has only been coaching her new team for a little over a week.

“We didn’t win any but the most we lost by was four,” Bush said. “But they were close games and with last week being my first week in, it’s kind of hard to get everything in.”

With the job being so new and there wasn’t any time to install all her offensive and defensive concepts before the first games earlier in the week, they struggled to close out some games. But against Wilson and J.L. Mann, they were able to execute much more effectively after Bush was able to install her full court defense with the early results showing it to be effective.

“I’m big on your defense turning into your offense. I try to press pretty much the whole game,” Bush added. “Unless the score gets out of control then we’ll back off.”

Offensively, Dutch Fork’s scoring depth impressed Bush. With multiple players showing an ability to score at a good rate against Wilson and J.L. Mann, Bush discovered she has more to work with than at her last coaching stop at Columbia.

“It’s a big help,” she said. “Especially coming from a team where I had only two main scorers. So you come here, and then you know I got girls that can score. Four or five of my starters, I don’t think the point guard (Antoinet Cheeseboro) is a big threat scoring but she facilitates well, but the other four will put the ball on the floor and score. And Christyonna (Jackson), she even brings the ball up the floor, which was a shock to me.”

The group she inherited picks up concepts quickly, moves the ball well as an offensive unit and has displayed plenty of versatility. But the thing about this team that has impressed Bush the most in her short time as the Dutch Fork head coach is her team’s willingness to work hard and put in extra hours.

“I’d say their hustle and their work ethic,” Bush answered when asked about what has impressed her the most about her team so far. “Last week, I came in and put in on them..I can tell they weren’t as used to it but you know, their work ethic is there and that’s the main thing. If your work ethic is there, then the other stuff will come."