Seneca Valley Girls Basketball: Celebrating Success On and Off the Court with Ms. Dorothea Epps

Coming off a milestone season that ended with the team’s first section title in 48 years, we’re catching up with Seneca Valley Girls Varsity Basketball Head Coach Dorothea Epps. The journey is not just about basketball wins, but about building culture, community, and confidence in young athletes. Coach Epps shares how her team’s success didn’t start in December — it was built in the offseason, through open gyms, tough schedules and a whole lot of belief.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE WILL REVIEW

• An overview of the Seneca Valley's Girls Basketball Team
• Most memorable moments of the season
• Vision for the program heading into next year
• Upcoming camps
• Special coaching recognition 

SPECIAL GUEST
Dorothea Epps, head varsity coach of the Seneca Valley Girls Basketball Team

Ms. Epps brings 28 years of high school basketball coaching experience and is currently in her sixth year at Seneca Valley. Under her leadership, the team has earned a section title with an undefeated record and has qualified for the WPIAL playoffs in five of the last six seasons. Before joining Seneca Valley, Ms. Epps coached at Butler. 

Transcript

FULL TRANSCRIPT (with timecode)
00:00:02:28 - 00:00:10:15
Welcome to Voices, a national award-winning podcast brought to you by the Seneca Valley School District. 

00:00:11:11 - 00:00:20:12
Jeff Krakoff: This is Jeff Krakoff. Today I'm joined by Seneca Valley head varsity girls basketball coach Dorothea Epps. Thanks so much for joining us today. 

00:00:20:26 - 00:00:22:16
Dorothea Epps: Oh, thank you for having me. 

00:00:22:23 - 00:00:50:02
Jeff Krakoff: So it was a special season for the the girls varsity team this year. We want to talk a lot about that. But I just kind of want to start giving people an opportunity that may not know much about you, kind of your history. I know most people that are coaching at the varsity level. They started as a player. Tell me a little bit about your your history, uh, playing, coaching, uh, your life in basketball. 

00:00:50:22 - 00:00:59:26
Dorothea Epps: Well, um, I went to Albert Gallatin. It's now known as, um, and played there as high school. Held the scoring record for a while. 

00:00:59:28 - 00:01:01:10
Jeff Krakoff: And that's in Uniontown. 

00:01:01:12 - 00:02:06:08
Dorothea Epps: That's near Uniontown. Yeah, it's near Uniontown. And actually maybe 5 or 7 miles out of West Virginia. That's how close to the line it is. Um, and I held the record there for quite a while. Um, and I, you know, was looking to getting into college, but, uh, it was a hard thing for us family wise. Um, as far as financially. Um, so I met my husband through, um, my sister, um, who, uh, was a year older than me. And through basketball, we got to know each other. And, um, she always jokes about, you know, she gave him to me. Um, so, um, he played also played. He played at Waynesburg, uh, college. And so then we, um, dated a while, and then we got married, um, and he joined the state police, and so we moved to Butler. Okay. Um, where we've been for quite a while now, Jeff. 

00:02:07:12 - 00:02:32:03
Jeff Krakoff: Okay. So basketball is sort of a lifetime passion of yours. Yes. Um, yes. You mentioned Butler. That's been your home for quite a while. Mhm. Um, you've been at Seneca Valley for close to a decade and you last came from Butler. So when did you first start? At what age and where did you start your coaching career? 

00:02:32:26 - 00:04:00:08
Dorothea Epps: Um, I started I believe it was back in 2005. I want to say, um, that I coached the, uh, seventh and eighth grade, uh, teams for, uh, Jonah Burke, um, who was the head coach at Butler at that time. Um, I coached there for two years, and like I said, we were pretty successful. Um, so then she asked me to come up and be an assistant coach for her at the high school level, and that pretty much started my high school coaching career. Um, I believe I was an assistant with her for like five years. Um, and then she left and I took over, um, the program, and we had a pretty successful program there. Um, we had three section titles. Um, a couple of years. We were undefeated. I believe in those three years, we lost one game, and it's impressive. Yeah. Yeah, we had, um, a good run there. And most importantly, you know, we were setting a culture, um, of winning and a positive environment for girls to come and play, and and culture is the biggest thing. Um, when you're trying to, you know, produce winning products. Um, as far as basketball or any other sport. 

00:04:00:10 - 00:04:06:16
Jeff Krakoff: Mhm. All right. So you came to Seneca Valley and you first joined as an assistant. Is that right? 

00:04:06:20 - 00:04:08:08
Dorothea Epps: That's right. Correct. 

00:04:08:15 - 00:04:39:20
Jeff Krakoff: And then after a couple of years you became head coach. Now I do want to talk about this past season because it was a phenomenal season for the Seneca Valley girls. Um, you won your first section title. And for any trivia folks out there, it's been 48 years. Um, so we're talking half a century. What an accomplishment. Can you tell me a little bit about that run this year? And in some of the moments that you always remember from this past season? 

00:04:40:03 - 00:06:11:07
Dorothea Epps: Sure. Um, it was a special season, but I had special girls, and that's where it all starts. Um, these girls believed in themselves. They believed in the coaching staff. And it starts early on, actually, um, like last spring. Last summer. Um, we put a lot of work in. Um, we held open gyms, which I had pretty much all the girls there. Um, which is kind of unheard of anymore because kids are going all kind of different directions. But they bought into what we were, you know, preaching. And, um, early on we started with our own local open gyms, but we also invested in to a company called Run the Show that, um, we had come in a couple of times a week, and they also worked out the young lady. So their commitment, um, was huge to buying into what we know, what we knew we needed in order to, uh, be very successful. And, um, these young ladies worked very, very hard, um, throughout the summer, uh, going into the fall. And I could just see that they were starting to really believe that they could do something special. So we we definitely talked about putting numbers up on the wall. Yeah. Um, that was our first goal, was to win a section and put numbers up on that wall. Um, and. 

00:06:11:09 - 00:06:13:23
Jeff Krakoff: By numbers, you mean banners with years on. 

00:06:13:28 - 00:07:54:24
Dorothea Epps: Right. Years on. Right. Right. Right. And that, you know, they kept looking up there, and they kept saying, coach, we can do it. And I said, of course I believe in you. You just gotta believe in yourselves. So it started early on, and they just kept working and kept working. And, you know, for me. Um, I've been coaching a long time. So for me, it was just seeing the sheer joy of winning that section. And it started with little things, like they hadn't beaten NA in quite some time. And so the first time that we beat NA, um, just to see their faces and, and how much fun they were having um, the whole season, to be honest with you, was one of the most fun seasons I've ever had. Because the girls cared about each other, they wanted to win for each other, and that's huge. That's huge. And that's the culture that I've been trying to build here, along with my assistant coaches, who are absolutely excellent with young, young ladies. Um, we actually had two alumni this year. Come back and help us coach, uh, Carly Martin and Gretchen Cogan. They came back and that was a huge boost for our program. So it was it was very special. Um, I'll never forget it, because for these girls, just to watch them cutting down the nets. Yeah. Um, that it was just a pleasure to watch and, um, just a pleasure to be a part of. Truthfully, Jeff. 

00:07:55:09 - 00:08:07:20
Jeff Krakoff: Well, there's a saying everybody loves a winner. Did you notice a difference in terms of crowd size? Number of parents? Friends, students? As the season went on. Tell me a little bit about that. 

00:08:08:01 - 00:10:00:04
Dorothea Epps: Well, you know, Jeff, it starts at the top. It truthfully does the culture. And, um, at Seneca Valley, we have a great administration. Um, we have supportive people that supported our program. There were things that that we did that were a little bit different, that, you know, it allowed us they allowed us to do, um, which built that environment. Um, our athletic department from Heather Lewis down has been absolutely phenomenal. So, Heather would pop her head in sometimes and just talk to the girls about being special, just, you know, coming and having fun. And that really did transcend to, uh, an environment in our gym that we hadn't had, um for quite some time, but it's all really starts with the type of girls you have. Yeah, and these girls were the leadership that we had from our seniors and a couple of the juniors. Um, that really showed the younger girls how to go about business. Um, and also having fun. Yeah. And, um, I think that's what they really got to see. And they felt really in control of where they were going to go, their destiny. And I think that's huge. Also, it was in their hands mostly. And um, I just enjoyed them. I think they enjoyed each other. Um, the joy comes, like you said, when you win, it's fun, but it's the growth of how they went about winning. You know, how the how they took care of each other. Yeah, it was special. It was just really special. 

00:10:00:16 - 00:10:32:05
Jeff Krakoff: So I think for people who haven't played or coached, you know, they think winning is easy. It just happens. They don't see the offseason conditioning, the film study, the open gyms. As you mentioned, everybody was showing up to the extra practice, you know, down at the local court or in those kinds of things. So at what point this season was it before the season? During the season, did you feel like this? Absolutely. It's a different team, a very special team. 

00:10:33:10 - 00:11:45:27
Dorothea Epps: Uh, I would say as coaches, we talked about our, uh, nonsection, which is the out of, out of, um, section play and how brutal our schedule was. Um, we played just about everybody that was good. And we felt that that was going to either crush us or it was going to really help us. And, um, the girl's attitude about those games going into those games. Uh, we kind of felt that, you know what? It's going to help us because they never got defeated, even in the losses. They learned from them. Uh, they came in the next day and went back to work. And we talked to them and watched film and, you know, corrected some of the things that we felt would make us a better team. Um, and this team, as I said, bought into it like it wasn't hard going into the gym every day because they wanted they wanted it. They wanted to work hard. They wanted to win. Um, so I would say early on, truthfully, um, we felt that we we could be pretty special. We could do some really good things. 

00:11:45:29 - 00:12:00:27
Jeff Krakoff: Okay. Now, what's even harder than winning a championship is sustaining and adding on to. Right. Mhm. Tell me a little bit about are you losing a lot of players? What? What's the state of the program in your opinion? 

00:12:01:13 - 00:13:44:15
Dorothea Epps: In my opinion, it's it's growing. It's really growing. Um, the year before, um, this past season, we were doing very, very well. We had won 10 games in a row, and, um, we lost a game and it we could see that the girls, um, weren't really believing in themselves. And so we wanted to fix that this year. So whenever we had a loss, we didn't see that defeated attitude. Um, we saw girls that were hungry and determined, and that's what we've been feeding. Our crowd sizes have been better because it's enjoyable basketball. Yeah. Um, the people that come, they enjoy watching us, you know, whether we won, whether we lost, we fought every single night. Um, so the program going forward, this is what we've been trying to build. Um, we did lose some really crucial parts to our program, even though they may not have been starters. Um, the four girls that we lost, um, they were very crucial to this program. So they taught these younger girls a lot. Yeah. Um, they taught them a lot. And I can tell right now that these girls understand the assignment. They know what it takes now to be that special team. Um, we're not satisfied with just winning a section. We want to win that WPIAL title. Mhm. And so they know now what it takes for each step. And um hopefully you know it's ingrained in them that okay we have to work just as hard or even harder. 

00:13:44:27 - 00:14:20:08
Dorothea Epps: So we've got a lot of really good, um players coming back that, um, I feel will be those girls that we can count on. Mhm. Um, and so hopefully, you know, we're going to work again. We started our open gyms. We have run the show coming in. Um, we will do the same in the fall. Um, with the open gyms. Um, we are going to team camp. Um, that that always helps. So we're going to continue to do some of the same things, but we're also adding some other things in. 

00:14:20:19 - 00:14:49:27
Jeff Krakoff: Okay. It's interesting. I've heard you say a couple of times you're putting the focus on the players. You have a special group. You had upper class women, seniors who are showing the younger players, you know, how to practice, how to be successful. But I don't want you to be too modest. I want to talk to you a little bit about I know you won a very special personal honor. Um, postseason. You were a coach of the year. Tell me a little bit more about that honor. 

00:14:50:15 - 00:15:58:10
Dorothea Epps: Oh, um, I truthfully, it's a nice honor, but, um, for me, it's always about the kids. Um, I've had my heyday, you know, and, um, my focus is always on the girls. And without my coaching staff. I had an excellent coaching staff. And, uh, Julie Fornadel, um, my daughter, Krystal Epps, and the two other girls, um, Gretchen Koken and, um, you know, Karlie Martin. Um, and then we, you know, it always goes back to keeping the girls healthy. And that's our Lolo, our main girl, main trainer. That, um, she's just wonderful. Kept the girls on the court for us. Um, the girls always went, you know, to her for in everything. Nicole was Nicole. Her name was Nicole. Lolo. And, um, she was just special. So for me, the honor is nice, but it it's like it takes a village. Yeah, and that's the way I've always looked at coaching. 

00:15:58:25 - 00:16:13:12
Jeff Krakoff: Well, the honor we're speaking about is you were named super seven Basketball Coach of the year, and that's something that each classification on both the boys and girls side, a coach wins. So again, congrats because there's a lot of really good coaches out there. 

00:16:13:18 - 00:16:15:10
Dorothea Epps: Oh well thank you, thank you. 

00:16:15:12 - 00:16:23:25
Jeff Krakoff: You should be proud of that. Well, before I let you go, what else can I can you tell us about Seneca Valley girls basketball and and its future? 

00:16:24:11 - 00:18:00:20
Dorothea Epps: Well, we're really trying to build. And in order to build, you got to start down at the youth level. So we've started some new things, um, to try to get, you know, the girls in the gym sooner. Um, you know, we have a basketball camp that, uh, we run with the girls, uh, that are on the team right now. Um, and that is June 9th through the 12th. It's held at the high school. Um, and it's for kindergarten up. And, um, then also we've partnered with, Run the Show to continue through the summer. Um, a program for girls, uh, starting in third grade. Um, all the way up. Yeah, this is the first time for that. Um, if anyone needs any information on that, they can contact me. But again, we're trying to start early. Okay. Um, because as you see, these girls are so, um, developed, skill developed early on, and we don't want to fall behind. So, um, we've been offering these programs. Um, we started offering these programs to keep our girls at Seneca Valley, um, you know, in tune to where everybody what everybody else is doing. Um, so those are some of the programs that, um, we are running that have been a little bit different than what we had done before. And then in the fall, we'll also have some other programs. So anyone can always contact me, um, or any of my assistants, and we can give you updates on, you know, what programs are available. 

00:18:01:02 - 00:18:05:21
Jeff Krakoff: Okay. So is there information on the website or should they just contact you? 

00:18:05:23 - 00:18:30:23
Dorothea Epps: Yeah. There there will be, uh, information on our website. Um, also, you know, they can contact any of the girls. Um, but, uh, upcoming is my camp, and that's June 9th, and it's definitely on the website. Um, you can also, um, register right online. Um, and then the Run the Show stuff will be, uh, in their backpacks, but also online. 

00:18:31:03 - 00:18:46:05
Jeff Krakoff: Okay. Well, thanks so much for all the information. Congratulations on a great season, both from a team and a and a personal perspective. This was, uh, head varsity girls coach Dorothea Epps. Thanks for joining us today. 

00:18:46:17 - 00:18:49:14
Dorothea Epps: Thank you Jeff. I really appreciate it. Take care.