By Noah Dalton
MITCHELL – Mitchell High School has found their next girls basketball head coach following the approval of the district’s school board on Monday, former NCAA Division I assistant coach Dakota Brasher.
Brasher, originally from Austin, IN, previously worked as an assistant coach for the University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff men’s basketball program.
Brasher also spent time at Oral Roberts University as a Graduate Assistant from 2018-20. While at ORU in 2020, Brasher earned a Leadership Master of Business Administration degree.
During his time as a student at Indiana University, where he would eventually graduate in 2017 with a degree in Sports Marketing and Management, Brasher worked as a student manager for the men’s basketball team under former head coach Tom Crean.
According to MHS Athletic Director Amos Wegner, Brasher was selected following a hybrid hiring process, which included two rounds of interviews, as well as a coaching demonstration with members of the team.
“We brought all of our candidates back in for encore demonstration with some of our athletes. Where they were hands on with the marker board, explaining how they wanted their offense to look and explaining the verbiage of their offense and then to actually watch it come to life in front of us and to see how they were hands on and were able to teach and coach with the girls,” Wenger explained during Monday’s board meeting.
“I think we absolutely knocked this one out of the park with Dakota. I’m excited for him. I know the girls are excited. And I think that community, once it comes around, will be very excited with it as well,” Wenger continued.
Some of the Lady Jackets players were in attendance at the board meeting to show their support for the hiring of Brasher.
One of those players, Jillian Bond, explained why she felt he was the right pick to lead the program.
“We really appreciated the way he communicated with us. That was probably what sold us on him,” Bond said. “He communicated what he wanted and then when it wasn’t exactly what he planned out for us, he made sure to communicate those concerns in a proper manner. And he made sure that we felt respected in the same way that we respect him. And he didn’t talk down to us when we did do something wrong. And we really liked his vision for the community and the team as well.”
MHS principal Jeff Bond also expressed his excitement for the addition of Brasher, who will also work for the high school as the CTE business teacher.
“I think he’ll be a fantastic addition to our coaching tree,” he said. “Excited about what he brings to the school as a coach but I’m also super excited about what he brings to us as a teacher in the classroom. So very, very excited moving forward.”
Brasher said that he was looking for a place to settle with his wife, Madison, which ultimately led him to Mitchell, back near his former home of Austin.
“I was looking for a home and I think I found it. I wanted I wanted something that felt like home and this is the place for me and my wife and we’re stoked. We’re ready to get started,” he told the board on Monday.
Brasher replaces Tim Haworth, who announced his retirement in February following the end of the team’s season. He coached the Lady Jackets from 2021-2023, leading the team to a Patoka Lake Athletic Conference championship in 2022 after an undefeated season in conference games.
