Staff Photo by Matt Hamilton / Venus Lacy has been named the new girls' basketball coach at Brainerd High School, where she starred as a player and helped the program claim a state title in 1984.Brainerd High School has turned to one of its own to take over its girls' basketball program.
On Monday the school named Venus Lacy, who helped lead the Lady Panthers to their only state championship in 1984, as its new girls' basketball coach.
"As soon as I found out she might be interested in coaching I reached out," said Brainerd athletic director Levar Brown. "We gladly welcome her back home.
"It's amazing to have her as our new coach and to see her walking our hallways today, getting to know the kids and other faculty has been exciting. It's just a blessing to have someone of her stature overseeing our program."
Lacy takes over for Kelvin Clay, who recently resigned to accept an offer to coach at Red Bank, his alma mater.
Lacy helped Brainerd claim the 1984 Class AAA state championship -- still the last girls' basketball state title claimed by a Hamilton County public school -- earning prep All America honors as a senior.
"Anybody who can see my face right now would be able to tell how happy I am," Lacy said. "This is my dream job. I have thought about coaching, and wanting to coach at Brainerd for some time, but everything has to happen in God's plan so the time is finally right.
"I want to help make the girls on the team become the best they can be and I feel like I have a lot of life lessons I can teach them. The first thing I want them to know is that education is the most important thing. After that, I want to make the game fun but I'm also very competitive and want to win and help us win another championship."
Lacy led Louisiana Tech to three straight Final Four appearances, including the 1988 national title and, as a senior in 1990, was instrumental in the Lady Techsters going unbeaten in the regular season and reaching the No. 1 national ranking before being upset by Auburn in the Final Four.
Lacy earned WBCA Player of the Year honors and was a consensus All American as a senior. She was inducted into the Louisiana Tech Hall of Fame in 2011 and still ranks as the No. 4 all-time scorer in Lady Techsters program history.
When Lacy finished her collegiate career the launch of the WNBA was still several years away, so she spent time playing professionally in Italy, Spain, France, Japan and Russia. Lacy also helped Team USA win a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and she joined the WNBA's New York Liberty during the 1999 season, where she played 17 games.
"I just want all of the coaches I've played for and worked with, and all the people who have supported me to know how grateful I am," Lacy said. "There are a lot of people who have believed in me throughout my career and that really helped get me to this point. Now I'm ready to meet all the kids and get started."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com.