Podcast: Tara Brisson talks NEPSAC’s growth, coaching evolution at Tilton

Tara Brisson coached Tilton to the NEPSAC Class AAA title last winter. (Annette Grant)

During her 16 years at Tilton, head coach Tara Brisson has grown into one of the faces of NEPSAC’s fast-rising girls basketball scene.

Brisson joined the Rams in 2009 when the girls played in the shadow of a dominant boys program. Since then, she has led teams to prep championships in Classes C, B and A. This past winter, Tilton reached the regional pinnacle as the first girls Class AAA champion, and the Rams have also captured the last two national prep school titles.

Along the way, Brisson has coached dozens of college-bound athletes, including former Gatorade Players of the Year Liv Orlando and Ahnay Adams.

Brisson joined the HoopWise Podcast to discuss how she developed her coaching style over the years. She also reflected on the growth of girls prep basketball since she arrived and looked ahead to next season’s championship defense.

Watch the video

Highlights

What have been the biggest changes in NEPSAC girls basketball since you took the Tilton job?

Brisson: “When I first took over the job, I was like, girls NEPSAC is behind the boys. We’re, like, 10 years behind. The boys were doing this, they already had a National Prep School Championship, they had kids going high-level Division 1, they had lottery picks in the NBA, and I just kept saying, ‘Why isn’t the girls side of NEPSAC more advanced?’

“… What I have seen over my time is just the increase of (talent) level across the board in NEPSAC, and that goes for any classification. You have Class C teams that would now — if you rewinded 16 years and we were still in Class C, and they were the Class C team now – they’d beat us by 40. And that’s kudos to NEPSAC girls basketball.”

Do you have advice for new NEPSAC coaches about what it takes to succeed as a coach and member of NEPSAC?

Brisson: “I would say first and foremost, stay true to who you are. There are a lot of influences out there and a lot of people who like to have conversations and talk, and send you recruits and help you with your program. And in reality, I think (for) young head coaches, it’s easy to say, ‘I’d love to win right away. I’m competitive and I want to win right away, and if I have to do it this way, that’s OK.’ But ultimately, does that disappear? If you stay true to who you are and the things that are important to you … those become more important when you’re building your program and your culture than that one kid that, maybe you got for one year and made your team really, really good.”

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