Photo by Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood's Maddie Vaughn (22) is a sophomore who gained varsity experience last season. She will be relied upon once again this winter.
The Briarwood Christian School girls basketball program has a new head coach this winter in Lorie Kerley, but the Lady Lions’ former head coach will be near the forefront of everyone’s mind throughout the season.
One of the first things Kerley said in a preseason interview was, “I definitely miss Coach Brown.”
Jim Brown won more than 500 games as a varsity basketball coach at Briarwood. Last spring, he decided to step down from his post and Kerley was chosen to take over. Kerley said she has always wanted to be a varsity coach and was eager to have that opportunity, with the added bonus of Brown being around to help out, answer questions and provide insight along the way.
“Coach Brown was just so great,” she said. “He had so much wisdom and was so calm.”
But Brown passed away in the summer, and the Lady Lions will honor his legacy by wearing patches on their jersey containing the initials CB, for the man known as “Coach Brown” to all of his former players and assistants. Kerley said there would also be a game during the season designated as Coach Brown Night, dedicated to contributing to a memorial fund started by his wife Lisa to raise money to help kids attend basketball camp.
On the court, the Lady Lions put together a 14-12 record last season in Brown’s final campaign. They won the area title and advanced to the Class 5A sub-regional round. But that group had a handful of seniors, so this year’s team will look different not only with its staff, but also with the personnel.
Briarwood will have three seniors, with Marylane Graham in her fourth year with the program. Holly Hancock took a year off from basketball last year and Jalen Hunter hasn’t played since eighth grade.
“As far as experience goes, we may be a little limited in that area,” Kerley said.
Despite not playing last year, Hancock brings an ability to shoot the ball and Hunter has maintained her ball-handling skills. Kerley said what the team lacks in experience, they make up for in “our effort and our attitude.”
Graham will serve as one of the team’s leaders and captains and is someone who would “run through a wall” with her intensity.
“She’s a fierce defensive player,” Kerley said. “Has always given 100 percent all the time and has added some offense to her game. I’m really excited about her.”
Freshman Kate Saunders is also expected to make an immediate impact as a post player who is “long, athletic and runs really well.” Alexandria Smith, Emily Scott, Maddie Vaughn and Caroline Mays all gained varsity minutes last season and are back for their sophomore seasons.
Caroline Campbell, Anna Martin, Bennett Shaw and Audrey Vickers will also be expected to contribute.
Kerley will certainly put her own influence into the direction of the Lady Lions program, as she introduces a slightly different offensive system that is more up-tempo and predicated on transition offense. But one thing that won’t change is the Lady Lions’ commitment to man-to-man defense.
“There’s little things like that that I want to hold on to,” Kerley said.
And another thing that will remain constant is the purpose of the Lady Lions program.
“Ultimately, our main goal is when people watch us play, they know what we’re about. They know that we represent Christ in everything that we do, we love each other and even through competition, love the other team,” she said.
