It’s been a wild few months for Apollo graduate Brianna Rhodes as she’s had a couple of different roles in the Brescia Bearcats volleyball program but now she has her biggest role of all.
It was announced last week Rhodes would be the new head coach of Brescia volleyball after she was named the interim coach in October.
“Initially, when I was asked to be interim head coach, it was a shock,” she said. “I had just been hired on as the assistant and I was still learning how everything worked here at Brescia. How the conference is, how the practices are run. It was a complete shock. But honestly, the other teams coaches and administration here, they held my hand through it all and helped me with whatever I needed. That honestly made the transitions a lot easier than what I was expecting it to be.”
When Rhodes was named the interim coach, she still wasn’t completely settled in the program as she was still learning how everything worked.
Rhodes helped Apollo get to the state tournament her senior season and knew the sport well enough to not be too concerned with that side of it but she knew she needed to learn the administration side.
“I am blessed I could kind of try out the role before I interviewed,” she said. “I honestly had not thought about being a head coach. I thought it was something I would not be able to do being a mom of two young kids. Getting to test run the position, I actually really enjoyed it and saw as long as you plan then you can certainly manage home life and head coaching life.”
The first few weeks of a new job are always stressful but add in a pandemic and it reaches new heights.
She said those around her at Brescia were a big help.
“I was reassured several times that the way things are right now, are not the way that things typically go,” she said. “That there’s actually more stress now than it typically involved. Really, to keep going through it all, I just leaned on administration and the help that was provided to me. I thought they were being so helpful because I was new and just thrown into this, after being named head coach, I’m noticing everyone here at Brescia, they really do everything they can tp help each other out.”
Rhodes graduated from Apollo in 2010 and has also been an assistant for the E-gals, along with being the head coach at Burns Middle School.
She said she’s ready to do what she can to give back to an area that’s given her so much.
“I’m in the perfect opportunity to help our community,” she said. “Whether is be offering scholarships to our local high school students and also using my players and my knowledge to go into the schools and help mold those young ladies into being volleyball players and overall just positive members of our community.”
With her now officially having the duties of a head coach, Rhodes said her priorities now focus on recruiting.
The Bearcats only have eight returning players for next season and they’d like to also add a junior varsity team as well.
She said the opportunity to find solid players is helped by the high schools in the area for them but also for Kentucky Wesleyan.
“It’s almost like the players come to you because we do have these four schools but also we’re the closest colleges and universities for a while,” she said. “I know a lot of people in the small town home life. They like to stay close to home and want to be able to go home on the weekends and want their parents and grandparents to come and watch them play. It’s a big benefit.”
Rhodes said she has a few things she’d like to achieve in her first year as head coach but one rises to the top.
“My overall goal really doesn’t have anything to do with wins or losses,” she said. “It’s actually to instill in my players the trust in me, not just in the volleyball side but that I can get them ready for life. The first year, I think is the most important as far as developing relationships. Depending on how this first year goes is how my career here at Brescia is going to go and how the program is going to go.
“My main focus is on relationships with the students, my players and the other coaches and staff here. I hope those graduating and even those who aren’t graduating, when they go home, they can say ‘hey, I know we’ve played together and if you’re looking for a school, I’d love for you to come to Brescia. I love my coach, I like the environment there.’ That is really my ultimate goal for this first year.”
