Marcel Williams resigns as Brentwood girls basketball coach after three seasons

Brentwood girls basketball coach Marcel Williams has resigned after three seasons, he confirmed to The Tennessean. 

Williams went 70-24, winning at least 20 games each season and taking the Lady Bruins to within one game of the Class 4A state tournament in 2023.

He has not been hired to coach at another school, he said. 

Brentwood’s season ended last week with a 23-6 record and 11-3 mark in district play. Lincoln County eliminated the Lady Bruins, 70-53, from the TSSAA basketball playoffs in the Region 5-4A quarterfinals. 

Brentwood junior guard Ella Ryan is slated to return next season as one of the Nashville area’s top players. She is on pace to break the school scoring record and averaged 23 points, 6.5 rebounds and three steals this season. 

Williams spent eight total seasons at Brentwood. He was an assistant and head junior varsity coach for five years before being promoted to head coach in 2021. He joined the program under Myles Thrash, who left to become the Battle Ground Academy girls basketball coach. 

Williams was a McDonald's All-American at Ocoee High School in Orlando, Florida, and played for Austin Peay from 2007-11. 

After college, he coached for two seasons in Florida before joining Brentwood’s staff. 

Mt. Juliet girls basketball coach Joseph Hiett resigns

Mt. Juliet girls basketball coach Joseph Hiett resigned on Friday, athletics director Michael Berardi confirmed. 

Hiett went 21-65 in three seasons. He took over the program on short notice in November 2021 following former coach Jennifer Wilson’s departure.

The Lady Bears went 7-21 this season and lost to Gallatin, 45-23, in the Region 12-4A quarterfinals. 

Mt. Juliet has had two coaches since Chris Fryer’s tenure ended in 2020. Fryer guided the Lady Bears to the 2005 Class AA state championship and led them to 10 state tournament appearances. 

Matt Bradshaw resigning from Stewarts Creek to be AD at Mt. Juliet Christian

Matt Bradshaw, who spent the past two seasons as Stewarts Creek boys head coach, will be stepping down to take over as athletic director at Mt. Juliet Christian.

The 1994 Lebanon graduate, who has spent most of his coaching career in Wilson County, will remain at Stewarts Creek until Rutherford County Schools spring break, before leaving for MJCA. He will solely be the AD.

"I have been blessed at my time here at Stewart's Creek. It is a wonderful place to work, and I love the people and players here," Bradshaw said in an email. "MJCA is a wonderful school where both of our girls attend.  We attend church at FBCMJ and love both places.  The opportunity to become the athletics director is something that I am looking forward to."

Bradshaw was 27-30 in two seasons with the Red Hawks, including going 12-16 and being eliminated in the District 7-4A tournament this season. Prior to the season he lost the team’s top returning player in 6-foot-6 forward Caelum Harris, a Nevada signee who transferred to Phoenix Prep in Arizona.

Bradshaw led SCHS to a 15-14 record and region quarterfinals berth in 2023 (before being edged by eventual state tournament team Blackman 58-56).

The 21-year coaching veteran has won 406 games, including 233 at Watertown, where he coached for 12 seasons prior to coming to Stewarts Creek. He was head coach at Friendship Christian before that.  

DNJ.com sports writer Cecil Joyce contributed to this report.

Reach sports writer Tyler Palmateer at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, formerly Twitter, @tpalmateer83.