Faithful repetition in teaching fundamentals is a primary job requirement of any coach in any sport.

Coach Tom Powell of Suffolk Christian Academy’s girls’ basketball team has this teaching opportunity with a largely new starting lineup this year on a team that is smaller than last year’s.

There is a degree to which Powell said he is starting over again.

“My expectations are to improve throughout the year, to be competitive,” he said.

Last season, the Lady Knights won three games and saw their season end with a 37-17 loss to Gateway Christian School in the Hampton Roads Athletic Conference tournament.

Early on during that season, SCA struggled, losing by 40-point margins or even more, but Powell persisted in working with the girls and saw improvement.

“As the season moved on, we cut those 40- to 50-point defeats to 15, 12, playing the same teams,” he said.

Players on last season’s roster who are gone this year due to graduation include guard/forward Jenny Rombs, center/power forward Caitlin Hankins and guard Caely Judy.

Sophomore forward Tiffany Rombs, Suffolk Christian’s most improved player last season, has moved to Southampton Academy.

The Lady Knights’ 12-player roster has shrunk to eight players this year, but Powell is focused on helping the players he has to have fun as they learn the basics and fundamentals of the game.

“I want the girls to enjoy the game and not dread going to practice and dread going to games,” Powell said.

SCA was 1-3 overall, 0-1 in the conference, going into Tuesday night’s game against the host Tidewater Educators for Christian HomeSchooling. The Lady Knights executed a 53-13 win over visiting Alliance Christian Academy in November.

Suffolk Christian’s most recent game before Tuesday was a 52-25 loss on Thursday to host Summit Christian Academy.

Powell, who is working to establish three new starters, said the biggest obstacle his team will have to overcome to be successful is its youth and inexperience.

“The more you play basketball, the more you get a sense of where to go and how to do things,” he said.

However, he also said that compared to last year, “our pace is faster.”

Powell said one of the highlights so far this year has been the play of junior power forward/center Zoie Howell, who improved a great deal over the summer with her rebounding and scoring.

The coach also cited the defensive impact of his daughter, sophomore forward Julia Powell.

“Julia, she’s averaging, at this point, four blocked shots a game, which is, I think, very good,” he said.

Coach Powell noted the Lady Knights’ game takes form in the space on the court that is within 10 to 12 feet of the hoop.

“We’re really focusing on good, high percentage shots down low,” he said.

The coach said junior power forward/shooting guard Brianna Farrenkopf has a nice outside shot. She contributed eight points to SCA’s game against Summit Christian.

Farrenkopf and the lone senior on the team, guard Ashley Barton, are the returning starters from last season.

Powell said he is developing two point guards, sophomore Grace Fowler and freshman Katie Glover, who are fast, outstanding athletes that he sees as up-and-coming bright spots on the team.