New Pearl River Central girls head basketball coach Austin Alexander is wasting no time getting to know his players.

The Lady Devils have competed in three different summer camps over the past month, wrapping the stretch up recently by participating in the Jones Junior College Day Camp here last week.

”It turned out real well for us,” Alexander, who was an assistant coach at Poplarville the past two seasons, said. “I definitely think it will be an advantage for us. They are getting used to me and I am able to get used to them without the pressure of playing regular season games. I am a big believer in playing in these type of summer games. I think they can be a tremendous help and we should be further ahead when school starts than we would have been.”

Alexander is taking over for veteran local coach Donna Spiers, who spent two decades as the head coach of the Picayune Lady Tide before leading the PRC girls for several seasons. Spiers left to return to her home in North Mississippi.

”Coach Spiers is a great coach and did a really good job here,” Alexander added. “But our coaching styles are extremely different. That’s another reason getting as much competitive time in on the court during this time of the year is a plus for us.”

The Lady Devils played a total of 16 games in the three events, and won more games than they lost. Kayla Drummond averaged over 15 points per game in the camps, leading the way for the Lady Blue Devils. Alexander also cited Megan Calcote, Shaneka Fowler and Natasha Holloway as having good camps, among others.

Alexander also indicated that he had just finished up the PRC schedule for next season, by adding a tournament to West Jones to the slate. PRC will also participate in the renewal of the annual Pearl River County Tournament in late November, which will feature Picayune, PRC and Poplarville along with Hancock High in a three day round robin event for both boys and girls.