How former Vanderbilt point guard Cherish Stringfield has molded Hillsboro in her own image
Hillsboro junior Raegan Starks had to think for a minute when asked if Lady Burros coach Cherish Stringfield is more intense during practice or in games.
"In practice," Starks said. "Yeah, in practice, for sure. But we know what she's trying to do. We know she's trying to pull the best of what we got out of ourselves. We accept that."
Stringfield doesn't mince words. She can be short, and to the point.
She implored her team to figure out a way to defend Nolensville's ball screen in the fourth quarter that had been picking apart Hillsboro's defense for the first three quarters. When Hillsboro figured it out, Nolensville scored only five points the rest of the way as Hillsboro escaped with a 34-30 Region 6-4A tournament semifinal win Monday.
SCORESNashville area high school basketball region tournament scores for 2023 TSSAA playoffs
COACHES CONFIDENTIALWhich TSSAA basketball rules need to be changed?
"They know what I'm bringing every day in practice," Stringfield said. "They know."
Hillsboro (19-8) will play for its second straight region championship Wednesday and is guaranteed a sectional game Saturday.
"This is why she's intense," said Starks, who had six points and five rebounds. "We have to match her intensity to win games. We can't be too laid back."
Stringfield's coaching style mirrors growing up on the playgrounds of a small community in Wakefield, Virginia. She didn't always have access to gyms but stayed on concrete courts honing her skills against kids older and bigger.
As a high school standout at Class A Sussex Central, Stringfield was a regular on the local AAU circuit before landing a scholarship at Vanderbilt in 2003. The 5-foot-7 guard was part of former Vandy coach Melanie Balcomb's rotation as a freshman before she found herself in Balcomb's doghouse.
"I thought I was good," Stringfield said. "But I hit a freshman wall. I started about seven or eight games, but I took some days off in terms of not doing what I was supposed to be doing. So I was benched. So I had to reinvent myself."
Stringfield begged an assistant coach, during an SEC tournament quarterfinal game against Auburn in 2004, to relay word to Balcomb to run a play Stringfield felt would be successful down the stretch of a tight game.
HILLSBORO BASKETBALLHow Hillsboro forward Tazia Williamson kept the Lady Burros' season alive
"We run the play with under a minute left and one of our players ends up hitting the shot and we go on to win (76-74)," Stringfield said. "I knew right then, I wanted to coach."
Stringfield's small-town upbringing mixed with high level SEC basketball created a competitive spirit that still resonates. Stringfield, who coached Centennial from 2008-2011 before becoming Hillsboro's coach in August of 2011, said she still wishes she could play.
"I mean, the other day in practice, I'm playing one-on-one with one of our assistants," Stringfield said. "And next thing I know, my team is cheering me on. I mean, I still have that fire in me. And that's what you see when I'm coaching. That fire has not died."
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Success follows former Vandy guard Cherish Stringfield at Hillsboro
