Gibson Southern Championship Titians

For ten years, Lead ‘Em Up has been a cornerstone in developing not just athletes, but true leaders and cohesive teams. As we celebrate our 10-year anniversary, we’re looking back at some of the championship teams that exemplify the power of culture and leadership.

Next up in our “Decade of Champions” series is Coach Kyle Brasher and his state-title-winning girls’ basketball team. Their championship victory was more than just a trophy; it was a testament to the power of unwavering culture and intentional leadership, deeply influenced by Lead ‘Em Up. Their story offers valuable insights into effective high school team leadership and what it takes to win a championship. For Coach Brasher and his team, the answer wasn’t just talent. It was a unique culture of selflessness, trust, and a commitment to togetherness that ultimately sealed their victory.

We sat down with Coach Brasher and senior Ally Malone to get their take on what made this championship season so special.

A Championship Built on Togetherness and Toughness

What does it take to win a championship? For Coach Kyle Brasher and his team, it wasn’t just talent. It was a team-wide commitment to culture, leadership, and togetherness that had been building over several seasons. That commitment ultimately carried them to the state title.

We sat down with Coach Brasher and senior Ally Malone to get their take on what made this championship season so special.

A Different Team Culture

Coach Brasher knew this group was different.

“Team culture is something that our program has prided itself in since the beginning, and the state championship team was a team that had been slowly building towards a special season,” he said.
It started with their theme.

“When we started chatting with our seniors about our season theme, they wanted to focus on the idea of Together. As a group, we felt like if we could be together, then we had a chance to do something our school hasn’t done in girls’ basketball, and that was win a state championship.”

Senior Ally Malone felt the difference, too.

“Our team culture was very strong the year we won state,” Malone said. “It had been growing for several seasons, as most of us had played a couple of seasons together. Our chemistry was strong as we were all close. Our team pushed each other to be better at practice every day. We all were super competitive and wanted to win so bad, so we all laid it on the line every practice and every game.”

The Standards That Set the Tone

One of the key turning points of the season was the creation of the team’s Green Standards, a favorite Lead Em Up exercise.

“The Green Standards is always one of our favorite exercises, and one we try to do early in the year to establish what the expectations for the season will be,” Coach Brasher said. “Once we get the printout from Lead Em Up, we print it out and place it in every player’s binder and locker as a visual reminder. We love how the standards are something that are player-led and they create them.”
Malone remembered how it gave the team something to rally around.

“I remember creating Green Standards at the beginning of the year after we had a Zoom with Kyle discussing green teammates,” she said. “This really set the expectation of how we should all act and feel, and based on these standards, we could all hold each other accountable. During times of frustration or tension, we could reflect back on these standards and remember why we set them, and if we followed them, they would help us achieve our goals.”

Would They Have Won Without It

Both Coach Brasher and Malone believed their culture was essential to their success.

“Culture and leadership are always a big focus of our team each season, and that season was no different,” Coach Brasher said. “We do several things that help focus on leadership. We kicked off our season with a great virtual meeting with the Lead Em Up staff to build the Green Standards for the season. We did our various Lead Em Up sessions, we have a Captain Class to help teach our potential captains different qualities and characteristics of a great captain, and we would bond together over food and other team bonding activities.”

He emphasized that leadership cannot be part-time.

“The thing about culture and leadership is that it cannot be something that happens every once in a while. It has to be the fabric of a program each and every day.”
Malone felt the same.

“We had a very strong focus on culture that season,” she said. “Each year, our program has a word or short phrase we go by. For example, one year it was complete and another grit. Me Chloey, the other senior on the team, and Coach Brasher decided on the word together for the season. We placed a strong emphasis on working as a unit.”

Malone explained how their focus helped them avoid the disappointment of past seasons.

“We had felt defeat several times in the postseason in years prior, and we knew that the only way we wouldn’t have that feeling again was by sticking together. I truly don’t think we would have been as successful that season if we didn’t work together on the court, push each other to be better, and have each other’s backs. I think if there was less focus on togetherness, our team might have folded under pressure.”

Attention to Detail

For the Lady Titans, success came down to more than just effort. It came from precision, clarity, and details.

“Process really forces our players to focus on the details,” Coach Brasher said. “Because in tight situations, we need to process quickly and focus on those details. That exercise is a fun one that makes it competitive.”

Malone recalled one Lead Em Up exercise that left a lasting impression.

“I can recall doing an exercise where you had to read a passage into your phone using the talk-to-text option, and everything had to be perfect,” she said. “If you messed up, you had to erase it, but only fix it with your voice. This emphasized the importance of crystal clear communication. It really made attention to detail stand out to me.”

And that attention to detail paid off.

“Late in the season, things needed to be perfect in order to win. Without the attention to detail and clear communication, it likely would not have been good enough to get us to the big stage or to give us that 3-point edge in the state championship. I believe the combination of these two things elevated our play to the next level.”

Coach Brasher added one more.

“We also always save the Toaster as our last exercise before postseason play to remind our girls that you only get one shot, and if you do not take advantage of that one shot, then you will get no more chances. I love the message and meaning of those three exercises for sure.”

Resiliency That Made the Difference

As the postseason unfolded, the Lady Titans showed toughness and resilience at every turn.

“It is hard to pin just one important moment of leadership during the season and championship run,” Coach Brasher said. “The thing that probably stood out the most to me was the resiliency of our group. We had one starter go down with an injury early in the state tourney, and we had players step up and play huge roles the rest of the way in our tourney run. That player who got hurt worked her tail off and was able to play a few minutes in our state championship and provide a huge lift for our team.”

Malone reflected on how connected the team truly was.

“This team had a special bond,” she said. “We had highs of winning sectionals and regionals and lows of losing in semi semi-state. We had tackled injuries together and seen each other at our best and worst. This team had been building something special for several seasons, and the year we won state, we had all cylinders firing.”

“This team was resilient as we all worked extremely hard to overcome different obstacles. This team clicked on the court. Sometimes it felt like we could play with our eyes closed because we knew where our teammates would be. The coach we faced in regionals said she felt like they were playing the Harlem Globetrotters at times. We were all very connected.”

Coach Brasher pointed to one final moment of grit that sealed it all.

“We also had a senior starter in Ally Malone, who ended up winning the Mental Attitude Award in the state final, suffered a pretty serious ankle sprain in the semi-state, and rehabbed like crazy the week of the state championship. She laid it all on the line to give our team the best shot of winning the state title.”

“I could go through and rattle off story after story of the resiliency and toughness of every girl that played, but I do not have the space for that. Long story short, those two stories are just two quick examples of how tough-minded these young ladies were. That tough-minded mindset is a leadership characteristic that is going to stick with them for the rest of their lives and will help lead to great success in any area they pursue.”