Ralph Biggs was named 2-A Eastern Plains Conference girls’ basketball coach of the year this past week. Biggs, in his first year at the helm, helped lead the Lady Pack to a 10-12 season and a third-place finish in the conference. The girls trailed Southwest Edgecombe and 2-A state champion North Pitt.

“I was very surprised. I was surprised and happy that I’ve been recognized for what I’ve done and what I’ve accomplished with the girls,” Biggs said of the honor. “I was very surprised considering that we’ve got the state champions in our conference and we’ve got several other good coaches.”

Biggs, a graduate of Washington High School, made a name for himself on the court as a player. He played at Towson from 1994-98. After graduating from Towson, he went on to play abroad in the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia and France. He learned a lot about the game during his playing career, but coaching presented a whole new opportunity and challenges.

He found success as a coach because the girls bought into his system. Washington is in the process of building a strong program in what is already a pretty dominant conference.

“It gives some validation to what we, as a staff, and what me and the girls already thought we got better at,” Biggs said. “We actually worked toward something. It kind of validates the process.”

There were ups and downs throughout the campaign. It’s something that is expected for just about any team, especially one with a first-year coach. The Lady Pack opened conference play with back-to-back losses before earning their first win — a thorough 59-24 trouncing of Beddingfield.

Then they ran into the eventual champion Lady Panthers. Washington lost their first two encounters with North Pitt by 50 and 42 points, respectively. They held their own against most of the league, though, and managed to string together three consecutive wins at one point.

Among the highlights of the season was a conference tournament clash with North Pitt. The game went down to the wire as the Lady Pack matched the Lady Panthers tit-for-tat, but ended up losing 47-45 on a last-second shot.

“The North Pitt (conference tournament) game and how far we came after losing to them by 40 points at one time,” Biggs said of his favorite moment of the season. “I saw the progression of the girls and the maturation of some girls in the process. They learned how to win, how to play and how to work together. Those are the highlights.”

Now the bar is set high for Biggs and the team.

“Next year, we’re going to work to be even better,” he said. “You set the bar high and you want to be the best you can be in everything you do. That’s what we’re going to work towards. … We’re good, but you’re going to work to be better because you want to be the best. Perfection is your goal. Perfection is unattainable most times, but perfection is your goal.”

With that in mind, Biggs is already looking toward next season and is eager to get back to work. He said that, between the NCAA Tournament just wrapping up and the NBA playoffs on the horizon, it’s been hard to keep his mind off of basketball.

“It’s really making me anxious,” he said. “I think they’re with their AAU teams. They’re working and trying to get better. I’ve got the faith that they’re going to work hard and do what they’re supposed to do to get better and be ready next year.”

Biggs is proud of his achievement, but has even more pride in what the entire team accomplished this past year. He had one message for the Lady Pack.

“I thank the girls for the effort they gave me,” he said. “They made it possible for me to be named (conference coach of the year) because they actually tried to do what I asked them to do.”