Description

Burrell Brown shares his memories of coaching basketball at Ridgeview High School, a segregated school for African American students in Hickory, North Carolina, beginning in 1948. He discusses how he improved his coaching by reading books by notable coaches and how he would take his team to see other teams play to learn new techniques. Mr. Brown coached both boys and girls, but noted that even talented girls at the time had very few opportunities for scholarships and opportunities to play beyond high school. Other topics include playing in tournaments, the importance of discipline on and off the court, players that he coached, basketball uniforms, and enthusiasm in Hickory among both Black and White residents for watching Ridgeview teams play.

Record Contributed By

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Record Harvested From

North Carolina Digital Heritage Center