Girls Basketball: Brittney McNamara wasted no time turning Midview into Final Four program

Being part of a state tournament team is often a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That's not the case for Midview coach Brittney McNamara. When McNamara leads the Middies into battle tonight against Cincinnati Princeton in a Division I state semifinal at the University of Dayton, she will join an exclusive club of people who have played and coached in a state tournament. McNamara was a member of the 2011 Elyria Catholic team that lost to Oak Hill 53-49 in the Division III state semifinals. She came off the bench and scored five points, hitting a 3-pointer and going 2-of-2 from the foul line in 10 minutes before fouling out. "I always tell these girls this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For me to experience it twice in 12 years is really incredible," McNamara said. "I think the experience of going there as a player will help me as a coach. Walking in knowing what to expect with all the media and lights, the big stage. Hopefully I can relate that experience to these girls without impeding on their own journey." Even back in her playing days, McNamara was already thinking about a future on the sideline. "I knew I wanted to be a coach. I always loved the game of basketball, my dad imprinted that on me," McNamara said of Kevin, a coach. "Just to be able to follow in the footsteps of what he's done and get to this level with him as a mentor makes this really an exciting time for me." McNamara has spent a lot of time this week telling her players that no matter the results on the scoreboard this weekend the trip is more about making memories that will last a lifetime. "I remember the memories surrounding the games and time hanging out in the hotel room more than I do the games themselves," McNamara said. "We were doing the Cupid Shuffle before the game and a security guard stepped on Emily Taylor's phone and broke it. The games come and go, but the memories like those that you make with your teammates stick around forever." McNamara's first foray into coaching came with her father on the AAU circuit before joining him as an assistant at Mayfield and Trinity. She was a head coach for two years at Berea-Midpark before coming to Midview in the summer of 2021. She took over a program that had won 14 games in the previous two seasons then went 18-6 in her first year. The Middies are 23-4 this season as they've reached the Final Four for the first time. "Brittney surrounded herself with great people at Midview, she has a great staff with her and a great AD, Dan May, who has allowed her to be her," Kevin McNamara said. Staying true to herself and pouring herself into the program helped the players buy into her vision for success. "Her coaching style and how she came in and accepted us all in as her own is what really changed things," senior Grace Seymour said. "She treats us like we're her own kids." Junior Alana Stacey grew up in a coaching family and noticed McNamara's unique qualities right away. "Coach McNamara is an amazing person," Stacey said. "We've gotten to know her on a totally different level on and off the court. The relationship we have as a team is the reason we've come this far." McNamara knew her team had the talent to get to Dayton but is still surprised by the speed of the success. "It's exciting to be 28 years old and leading a team to the Final Four in my second year at Midview," McNamara said. "I never imaged it would happen this quick. A lot of coaches spend years and decades trying to get to this point. I'm so blessed to have this group of girls, this coaching staff, this community to help us get here." Like many coaches, McNamara is consistently juggling the needs of her young family, but it looks like she's found the perfect balance. "It's incredibly hard work, you spend countless hours away from your family. It's really hard when you have a newborn at home," McNamara said. "I know I have to show these girls the same type of love I show my family. If you can do that, they will love you back and want to work hard for you." She learned that lesson watching her dad handle the same responsibilities when she was growing up. "Brittney is a great daughter, a great sister, a great cousin and that translates into her coaching style. When you treat people well, good things happen,' Kevin said. "When Brittney was with me at Trinity and she didn't know why I did something, she would ask and she would listen. Even in the moments we made mistakes, they became lessons to learn from." Middies junior guard Olivia DiFranco also grew up in a family of coaches, and her father, Chad, is one of Midview's assistants. She understands how rare it is for a coach to overhaul a program as quickly as McNamara has. "Having a new coach come in a lot of times you don't see a program get up and running this quick," DiFranco said. "But within two years she's changed the entire mindset of our program. It was great for her to come in and reestablish Midview girls basketball." McNamara has already beaten the odds to make it to state as a player and a coach but hopes this is just the start of what she can accomplish at Midview. "It's just incredible to be at Midview. My dad always reminds me people turned me down because of my age," McNamara said. "The people are all fantastic. From the top to the bottom, from Bruce (Midview superintendent Bruce Willingham) to Dan (athletic director Dan May) to the janitors who come in here after us. Having all of that love and support helps us get to where we need to go. I don't even know how I could top this." Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.