Ep 209 | Lady Cats: State Basketball CHAMPS!

SPEAKER_00 1:32

I would say that losses have allowed me to understand how to get the most out of our young ladies. And how I was coaching five years ago is now how I'm coaching now. And so when we talk about psychology, that was also me reflecting on like, okay, I had to read some leadership books, figuring out things that work for us, you know, implementing different things. And so the psychology background in me has just continued to grow.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

Welcome to the Voices United in Education podcast. Each week, we showcase the teachers, administrators, and community members who go the extra mile to contribute to the success of every child in Escambia County. You'll meet the real people behind the titles and learn about the amazing resources to support your child's success. The Booker T Washington High School Girls Varsity Basketball Team just took home the Class 5A state championship trophy, finishing with an overall 24-3 record, including an impressive 19-game winning streak. My next guest is proud to be the Booker T Lady Cats head coach and athletic director over the school's 19 sports and the 2026 Florida Dairy Farmers Girls Basketball Coach of the Year. Today she's going to share the values of both winning and losing, the strengths of her team and her philosophy as a coach, leading beyond the buzzer, vision to victory, Woodham High School alumni Jade Brown. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here. I am so glad that you could make it. This is so cool because the last time the Lady Cats won the championship, it was the year 2000. Crazy. Right? What does it feel like to lead the team to victory that wasn't a thing for 26 years?

SPEAKER_00 3:25

It was very exciting and just also humbling and, you know, very blessed to see just the process we went through and to accomplish our goal that these young ladies have set out at the beginning of the season and to, you know, to see it come to fruition was pretty pretty amazing experience, something that's going to stick with me for the rest of my life. And I know it's going to stick with those young ladies for the rest of their life.

SPEAKER_01 3:47

I mean, core memories unlocked. Yes. For sure. The most skeptical of listeners, though, I have to like address them because I feel like they're always in the background, at least in the back of my head, I think of them. Because they might offer like a polite, well, congratulations. Yeah. But then wonder how this is setting up the players for success in the future, especially if they could be spending that practice time on academics and the game time, you know, getting job experience or something. How do you respond to that?

SPEAKER_00 4:14

Well, I think that athletics prepares you for a lot of things outside of school. You know, there are a lot of things that you face in athletics that you may not face necessarily in the classroom. So I think that even for myself, being able to experience the highs and lows of being an athlete has really prepared me for everything that I'm doing in my life. So athletics is also a way for young people to engage in other activities. I think it allows them to release some things. Sometimes they may be super stressed out because of the test, but they come and practice and they forget about it. They're playing the game, they're not worried about those things, but they also don't forget those things. But I also think athletics and academics together make a very well-rounded young individual. I think it speaks a lot to our young ladies. Our average GPA is over 3.3, I believe, to be able to manage both. A lot of people have a challenging time managing two tasks. So I think we have our athletes are not only are we preparing them for on the court, we're preparing them for things once they get into the real world. Because you and I both know you have to do a lot of multitasking and you have to be able to do a lot of different things. So to me, it works together. And in something in our program, we always say it's bigger than basketball. Because if you don't have your grades, you cannot play. That's a fact. That's not a, you know, that's not a made-up thing. The state requires a 2.0. So for us to have well over 3.0, I think speaks volumes of how important classroom academics is to our young ladies. So for me, it's it's very special to know that we have young ladies who are also excelling in the classroom. But also just, we have a lot of young ladies that are involved in other activities on our campus, course, SGA. So they're not just basketball players, they're student athletes. And the student always comes before the athlete.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

Oh, I love that. That we have to multitask in life is like the biggest understatement of the year because it's so true. It never ends. And to have that singularity of mind, I think is not a good setup. I actually hear parents talk about, oh, I just want my student to focus on fill in the blank one thing. Yeah. And there there may be value in that in some settings, but I really resonate with what you're saying about dipping your toe in the multiple thing category of life because that's really how it looks in the real world.

SPEAKER_00 6:34

100%. And you just, and if we can teach them how to do it at an elite level now, when they become an adult, it's going to be much easier. Or just get them to understand how to balance being a student and an athlete. We have quite a few young ladies that will go on to play at the next level, which is a lot more demanding in the classroom and on the floor. So for us in our program, we're trying to shape young ladies to become influential individuals in society, not just basketball players, because most young ladies on our team are not going to continue to play at the next level. You have a few. So we're doing our job by helping them prepare for life.

SPEAKER_01 7:09

You said earlier the winning and the losing, the ups and the downs. Who do you think is the better teacher, winning or losing?

SPEAKER_00 7:15

I think losing because, and I tell our girls this all the time: you never lose, you learn. That's that's how we take it. But every lesson is a blessing. For for me, it is. And and so I mean, though we finish a 19-game win streak, I can recall all three losses more vividly than any of the wins. Because those moments allowed us to win a state championship. And sometimes, sometimes you have to fall in order to rise. So to me, losing is if not as important than winning, but losing, it also keeps you humble. And when you're humble, then you start getting hungry. And so now when you're hungry, you're ready to compete. So losing, losing is a part of the process. You we've all taken losses that have allowed us to shape who we are as individuals. So for me, and something I always tell our young ladies in our program, if losing a basketball game is the worst thing you've experienced, you're gonna have a great life. You're gonna have a fantastic life. So losing games that they hurt, you know, they sting in the moment, but but they still allow us to grow.

SPEAKER_01 8:21

Yeah. I resonate with what you're saying about remembering the losses more, but it's like it's the wins that make those headlines. Yes. You know, and when I think about these stats of like 19 in a row winning streak, I don't know. I mean, that's exciting. Because I I love I love some high school basketball. I do. But I'm curious who the girls are behind that because they are the collective that brought us that that statistic, but that's not like who they are as people. Can you tell me a little bit about who the girls are? First of all, they're TikTokers.

SPEAKER_00 8:55

Let's say that. Oh no, really? They love TikTok. And I just say that because every time I look around, they're doing some TikTok or whatever. So we actually kind of like pregame, before the game, early on in the season, I was like, hey, on game day, we're not doing TikToks. Like they're not gonna be in the locker room. Like, we gotta get focused, guys. Yeah. But they, and but you know, just being young ladies, they're they're amazing young ladies to be around. They work really hard. Like I said, they are some leaders in our school. And for me, they also genuinely care about each other. They really do. They love being around each other. It's not too many times that if you see them post something, it's not just one or two. It's like the whole team together all the time. And I think that's part of why we were so successful because they were a very, very close-knit group, but they also work really hard. And we talked about our standard and and our vision that we had this year, like accountability. At the beginning of the season, we sat down and I asked them what makes a great team. And they listed some things that we weren't yet, you know, starting with accountability and you know, just little things that not necessarily that you can see on a scoreboard. And so when I asked them, like, well, if you guys are saying this is what makes a great team and this is where we are right now, well, we have some work to do. And so for them to be able to kind of sit down and have that conversation at the beginning of the season and really own who they are as individuals, but what they have to do collectively to become a great team, I think speaks volumes of just who they are as young ladies. But overall, they're they're they're funny, they're goofy, you know. But when it's time to play, they're they're they're locked in, they like to have fun. We have some talented individuals. We got, like I said, some girls on in chorus that can really, really sing, you know, and and they like to dance. So they're just they're wonderful young ladies to be around, but they work really hard. I mean, anything I ask for them, they they go out there and they do. And and to me, that's what allows me to coach them. And I enjoy being around them. I really do. I I we've had a a really good time being around them, not just on the floor, but when we're just hanging out, you know, just chit-chatting. It's it's it's a great, it's it's really fun to be around them.

SPEAKER_01 11:04

I can see that. They sound amazing. I can also hear your psychology class coming through a little bit because when you taught in the classroom, that was psychology. Is that just like embedded in your philosophy of coaching, or do you at very pinpointed moments pull from that psychology background?

SPEAKER_00 11:25

I think it has become a part of me. You know, if I I graduated high school in 2005. So when I was in high school, we read a book every year. Every year as a You and your team. Yes, we read a book, we do a book study throughout the year. And it's only been twice that it's actually been kind of basketball-related. Well, one was basketball related, but this year we read Seven Commitments to a Great Team by John Gordon. And we've read quite a few of his books. And so I would say that losses have allowed me to understand how to get the most out of our young ladies. And how I was coaching five years ago is now how I'm coaching now. And so when we talk about psychology, that was also me reflecting on like, okay, I had to read some leadership books, figuring out things that work for us, you know, implementing different things. And so the psychology background in me has just continued to grow because now we are understanding and we're seeing more. We have a lot more information on, we've talked about this beforehand, you know, the mental aspect of the athlete and getting me to also and our coaching staff to understand, you know, where they are mentally to be able to get the most out of them physically. So I'm I'm thankful that I have a psychology background. I'm a minor's in psych and I taught it for many years, but I think it it just happened. It wasn't like, it wasn't something that I was like, because I teach psychology, I've got to, I've got to do this. It was kind of like, you know, as society changes, as young people change, we have to be ready to change. I can't coach the same every single season. So I think it's just me wanting to continue to grow, but also to get the best out of them. And so for us, it's just like if we can understand and always tell the girls, no, I don't know what you're thinking, but your body language gives off a lot. You know, so from that psychological standpoint on the basketball court, I always had to teach them last year what a poker face is. They all didn't know. I had to live. They didn't know what a poker face? No, I taught him, but now we know. Okay. So it's just, you know, that mindset of like, hey, you you you have to have this poker face when you're playing. You can't get too high, you can't get too low. Because if I see you bending over and you're breathing hard as an opponent, I'm like, okay, I got it. She's tired now. And so just teaching them those things, but also understanding they're young people, they go through a lot. And if we can reach them halfway, then we're doing our job.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

Yeah. Sports psychology, I never even heard those two words together because I graduated in the early 2000s from high school. And back in the like 90s and the early 2000s, it was walk it off, push through it. Suck it up. Suck it up. Yeah. And now it's like visualize and self-care. How do you see that evolution of sports mindset?

SPEAKER_00 14:13

It's definitely changing, but I think that we can still use both now because there are times when I'm like, hey guys, you got to push through because nobody wants to come out the game. But if you're looking gassed and really tired, I got to pull you out. And there are times where, you know, one of the better players on the floor, we really need to keep in. And I'm like, hey, man, give me one more possession. And then I could just come on, take, come on, you got it, you got it. So I think you have to know how to coach that, which players you can do it with and who you can't. But now, also on the same token, you know, social media plays a role in a lot of this stuff, you know. So seeing what other athletes do or being able to say, hey, did you watch the game last night? Did you see when she twists her ankle, tied her shoe back up, and win the game? So I think it's we're able to use both. And I think if we can continue to bridge that gap, we're gonna get a good athlete. Like full spectrum of that mindset. Yeah. And when you said visualizing, that is imperative in our program. Something we did along our state championship run, starting with the district championship before the game, we visualized every game. Like literally.

SPEAKER_01 15:20

Okay, what does that look like though? Because like when I was growing up, I mean, right at the tail end of my, you know, short soccer career, they were like, Yeah, visualize. But girl, that was all they said. They were they weren't like, you know, close your eyes, breathe through your belly. I love that. And then take yourself there mentally, which is like way more helpful and has a lot more utility than just someone randomly yelling out the word visualize.

SPEAKER_00 15:51

So ours was the real deal. Like, we got in a circle before the game. I mean, this is right before tip-off. After we do our pregame speech, we got in a circle, everybody closed their eyes, and I just talked through the game.

SPEAKER_01 16:05

You have a good, like, guided meditation voice too.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

We we we talk, well, it wasn't like this though. It's like number 23 gets the ball and won. I mean, it's like, we get a steal, we get a stop, we shoot the three, the crowd's going crazy. Coach Brown calls a timeout, everybody, and like we're we're clapping up and we're we're on the bench yelling, defense, defense, defense. So it was like, it was legit a real visualization, like like we're in a game. I wanted them to feel it. I wanted them to believe it because if you can visualize something happening, you put that in your mindset, it can happen. And so we just wanted them to know that, hey, what we're talking about, we can do. And so every game, it got it got a little bit better each game, and it was, you know, it was it was definitely a hype session. It was fun. And I mean, by the time we were finished, I was probably sweating a little bit before we got out there because I mean I'm all into it, jumping up and down. We're yelling, and one three, the referee calls a foul, Coach Brown saying, get back on D. So it was, it was good. It was, it was, it was fun to do, and I think the girls really, really resonated with that and to have that energy going out onto the floor.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

That is exactly how the Blue Angels do it. Have you seen the documentary?

SPEAKER_00 17:15

But I know that because my assistant coach, um, Coach Dominique Jordan, he saw the movie. I've watched clips of it on on Prime, but he said they did that. Yeah. And we've I've done it years before. Every Blue Moon, I would do it a game. But this year we did it every single playoff game, all the way, all the way up into the state championship game.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

So you think it's a change maker?

SPEAKER_00 17:37

I think it's something definitely that eases their mind. You know, when you're playing in playoff games, they literally are winner go home. So for me, it's like, I know that we can get this done, but let's really believe it. Let's feel it, let's visualize it, let's believe in what we're saying because we're capable of doing it. And do work sports, who's a local sports kind of social media thing here. They to did a video of one of our visualizations. So before the championship game, they were in the locker room with us and they recorded us doing visualization and we were counting down the end of the game, which almost was identical. Where I'm like 10, 9. And the girls are, you know, we count up and we're like, we win, and I mean we're going crazy. So we kind of won like at the very end of the game. So, you know, you guys speak it into existence.

SPEAKER_01 18:27

Wow, that's amazing. Oh, what about the ingredients of like supporting staff? What does that look like for your team?

SPEAKER_00 18:33

Man, that's amazing. And I I'm very blessed to work with some amazing coaches. And I never say like my staff, I say a coaching staff because we work together. Though I'm the head coach, I don't consider myself over them because we just work really well together. This is the first year that I've had a former player on staff, Janelle Jones, who's been critical to our success. From being fresh out of college, she graduated from South Alabama, one of the best players I've ever coached. And just, you know, that closeness and age, that connection. My age with the girls are getting a little bit wider each year, you know. So she has that good connection where they can really lean on her, but her knowledge of the game is impeccable. And so it was really exciting to have my first former player. Well, actually, I had another former player, but someone that was in my program for four years. But to have someone of Janelle's caliber and just she went to Booger T for four years. She's a Wildcat through and through. Her grandfather was a coach there as well. He played on the state championship team, won a state championship. He was also the first African American to play at the University of Florida. So she's a real wild cat. So it was just very exciting to have her on the sideline and her energy. And then Coach Jordan, he's like my brother, Dominique Jordan. I mean, he is somebody I lean on all the time. We're constantly throwing things off each other, but he's also that one person that probably holds me accountable on the floor. Like they call him sometime, uh, Mr. Shackle, our principal says, you got to get Jade off the floor. Because I'll get out there and I'll start coaching. So sometimes he's the, you know, in football, they have that pullback coach. So sometimes he's the person, like, hey, come back, come back. But he's, you know, he's our, he's our, you know, what I would say, he really sees the full picture, you know. Like, I don't know if we should do it that way, Jade. Like, I don't know if you should say it that way. So you have to have those individuals on your staff who are gonna hold you accountable, but also not a yes man. You want somebody that's gonna challenge you, but in a good way. Uh, and then we have Coach Mookie, who's a former Lady Cat, uh, Kirsten Smith, and she played for the former coach, Coach Ronnie Bond. And so all of these individuals went to Booger T. So it's we just love that blue and white. And so I'm very thankful that I have a family around me. That's what I call. We're we're not friends, we're we're family. We're calling each other all the time. When our families are having things, you know, different things that nature. Coach Jordan, his son, is my godson. So to me, I wouldn't be in this position without them. And I think it was Miami Heat's head coach who said, I might be wrong. I think it was the Boston Celtics. I think it was their head coach. It was one of the NBA coaches that recently said, I wish the like coach of the year award was staff of the year, because your staff does so much that people don't see. And, you know, I'll get this recognition, but without them, none of this happens. None none of it happens. And so I'm I'm just really fortunate that I work with an amazing group of coaches, but our administration too, they love our student athletes. And then we also have someone we work out with that does our strength and conditioning, Lorenzo at Fit. So we're really blessed to have some individuals that just take time out of their own lives to pour into our young ladies.

SPEAKER_01 21:39

That's incredible. And one thing that I know about competitive people is that the sweetness of victory is very potent, but it's also got a short shelf life, you know? So are you already looking to what's next?

SPEAKER_00 21:53

Most definitely. But my word for the year, you know, a lot of people choose New Year's resolutions. I have not done a New Year's resolutions, honestly, ever. But in 2016, I started doing a word of the year. And my word of the year was this year was enjoy. I I I'm pretty busy quite a bit. And so this is a special moment. It's gonna be something that is gonna live with us for the rest of our lives. And so what I have told our young ladies, like, enjoy the moment, don't forget the moment, but it's almost like perfume. You can't drink it. You know, you can't drink it because it's poison. Yeah. You gotta, and I've heard that statement from a couple coaches before. So that's kind of where my mindset is. But I don't want to take anything away from the recognition that we've received. The community support has been tremendous for our young ladies, the recognition we're gonna get to attend a Blue Wahoo Stadium, a Blue Wahoo game together as, you know, recognition as a state champion. So when I'm trying to move on, almost every other day or something, somebody's, you know, has reached out. Hey, I really would love to, you know, recognize your girls. And so this is something that's gonna stay with us for forever, for as long as we live. But again, it's like perfume. It smells good, you love it, but we can't drink it. But you also want to remember it, but you keep those losses in the back of your head too, because those losses are what drove us to get to this point.

SPEAKER_01 23:11

Yeah, yeah. Holding in the memory the the wins and the losses, but you're definitely imparting in the girls' skills for a lifetime. And I'm sure that they are so deeply grateful for that. I'm gonna link the team Facebook page in our show notes because the pictures and the updates are just fantastic. Thank you for everything that you're doing. Oh, thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00 23:35

I mean, God has really blessed me, and I definitely can't take credit for anything that he's doing in my life. I mean, you have praying parents, my mom and dad. And in again, I I work at a wonderful school, Booker T Washa High School. I work with some wonderful coaches, and ultimately, like I said, the girls, they did all the work. They made me look good, you know. But um, I'm I'm really blessed, and I I love, I always tell the girls I don't feel like I work because I really love what I do.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

Go, Lady Cats. Yes, we have. Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe and share. Voices United in Education is a production of Escambia County Public Schools.