When Terrell Hollins made a recent visit to the Middlesex School’s new athletic field house that’s opening this fall, his eyes lit up.
Walk up the stairs, and you can see through the glass of the new weight room that features at least 10 squat racks, and “you think of a Division 1 football program,” Hollins says. It features a big turf field for workouts and strength and conditioning programs. There are two brand new wooden basketball courts, among many other features of the $44 million, 100,000-square-foot facility.
Hollins sees the future of Middlesex’s basketball program within this field house.
“It’s a place where I think when kids walk in, it’s going to have that wow factor,” Hollins said. “I think that’s going to be a great place especially for kids who are serious about athletics.”
Hollins was announced last week as the new head coach at Middlesex following the departure of Sean Tabb. With a long track record of player development and local coaching stops – including the last seven years as the head coach at crosstown foe Concord Academy – Hollins has a deep understanding of what’s required to build a successful program. He knows the new field house will be a game-changer; he’s missed out on recruits at past stops because of that. And he knows it will play a critical role in his vision for the program.
By taking over at Middlesex, Hollins will have the chance to coach in the Independent School League (ISL), an opportunity he’s always sought. The ISL has one of the richest traditions of any high school league in the country that recently has produced several NBA talents, including Duncan Robinson at Governor’s Academy, Tyler Kolek at St. George’s and 2026 No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa at St. Sebastian’s. Hollins is eager to be part of it.
“Being in the ISL for me is something I’ve always wanted to experience,” Hollins said. “It’s one of the best leagues in the country. (Middlesex) is a school that’s kind of been turning around and I have a chance to really recruit some really good players with the new athletic facility opening in the fall. It’s an opportunity for me to build a really strong program and take it to the next level from where it’s been the last few years. …
“In terms of players, the top talent, the ISL has that, but it also has the academic rigor for these schools,” he continued. “For me, one thing I want to do is build an Ivy League feeder, a program that Ivy League coaches, Patriot League coaches, high-academic coaches want to be at our games, want to be at our open gyms, want to be around our team recruiting. I think Middlesex is an attractive place for those types of athletes. With the facility, it brings it all together and services those guys and gets them what they need from a development standpoint.”
The Middlesex opportunity came together quickly. Hollins, a co-founder of the Draft League, said he found out about the opening a few weeks ago from some of the Draft League coaches. A former player at Brandeis, Hollins connected with Middlesex Athletic Director Craig Najarian, who he knew from Brandeis. With Hollins’ depth of experience and connections, a successful run at Concord that included the 2025 Eastern Independent League tournament championship, the job made perfect sense.
“It was the right fit at the right time,” Hollins said.
Hollins has developed a strong reputation as a player’s coach; he’s someone who’s not afraid to show some emotion and energize his teams from the sideline. His new players and future recruits should expect to play an exciting brand of basketball.
“I’ve been around coaching for a long time, and one thing I realized is if I can connect with my players, they'll trust me,” Hollins said. “My style, it's fast-paced, I want to shoot a lot of threes. I want to run, I want to push up and guard with pressure. I want to play fast, I want to make good decisions and I want my team to feel like they’re in a situation where they not only develop as players, but they can really focus on being able to play without making mistakes.
“I think that was one of my biggest things as a player. I was always worried about making mistakes and coming out (of the game). My thing is you’re going to make mistakes, let’s not make compound mistakes, or let’s not let our body language lead to bad energy within our team. Mistakes are going to be made, but if we can continue to play hard, if we can continue to play together, we can do really great things.”
Since it’s already August, it’s too late for Hollins to recruit players for the upcoming season. He’ll be hard at work in the fall recruiting for 2027-28. But he knows about a few of the players he’s excited to build with this season, including 6-foot-9 2028 forward Luca Petrou and 6-foot-3 2029 guard Michael McCarthy.
Long term, Hollins’ goals are ambitious. He’d like to produce an NBA player out of Middlesex. He thinks it’s possible. When he first started training players years ago, one of his clients was Alex Karaban, who was then attending Algonquin High School and ultimately became a first-round pick this year. He saw what that level looked like.
Short term, Hollins has his goals set on getting his kids into good schools, and hopefully competing for a playoff spot in Class B Large this season. He’s ready for the challenge.
“I think we can make some noise,” Hollins said.
