Lexington girls basketball coach Molly Goodrich has taught her daughter, Braidi, about basketball since Braidi was in the second grade. 

Now she is doing it at the highest level of youth athletics. 

Braidi is a freshman on this year’s Lexington girls varsity basketball team after spending two years with the junior varsity squad. 

“It’s been like a lifelong thing where we just have basketball. That’s like our thing,” Molly said. “Ever since she was little, just teaching her how to be a point guard, how to dribble, how to shoot, but just at the varsity level, it’s fun to see her hard work and her determination get her to this level.”

Braidi has already found ways to contribute to the Wildcats. She averages two points and two assists in just over 12 minutes a game. 

 In a contest against Spring Valley on Dec. 4, Braidi scored four points, including the game’s most important. With time winding down, Braidi was fouled, walked to the free-throw line and knocked down the game-winning free throw. 

“I felt a lot of pressure,” Braidi said. “I was very nervous, but I just tried to remember my routine, and I’m like ‘you know you can make it’, and that was just a very important aspect of it.”

 Molly said that shot did more than just help the team win. It also gave Braidi a much-needed confidence boost. 

“When she stood up there I knew that after all the time she’s done that and shot and worked on it, I knew she had the confidence to do it,” Molly said. “I was really proud of her that she not only made the shot and helped us win, but she got to feel that success and help her grow as a player.”

Since starting varsity basketball, Braidi said regaining that confidence she had at the junior varsity level has been the biggest adjustment for her. She is playing against older, taller, stronger and more athletic players.

“It’s a lot faster, and I would say like more neat than JV because a lot of the girls are more advanced and have been playing for longer and are a lot older than me,” Braidi said. “It’s just a lot. You have to stay focused more and put in more work than you maybe would for JV.”

Braidi has been committed to putting in that work. With the help of her teammates, the adjustment has not been as difficult as she foresaw. 

“They’re like my family,” Braidi said. “They’re so much fun. We see each other every day. We’re like sisters. So, it’s just been really fun with them. It’s probably been the most fun team I’ve had in my life.”

Her expertise in Molly’s coaching principles and philosophies has made her an asset in practice. Molly referred to her as a coaching assistant on the court. 

“She knows exactly what I want and she knows how I want things done, probably because she’s my kid, and she’ll do anything in her power to make that happen,” Molly said. “Even though she’s young, she acts as a silent leader out there, and the girls respect her for that because they know that I’m pretty hard on her.”

Braidi is also a spark plug for the team. Molly said it is her responsibility when she checks into games to facilitate the offense and bring disruption and intensity on defense. 

The pair’s relationship is different on the court than it is off the court. The two try to limit game talk off the court and find other ways to connect, whether that be during their ride to school, trips to the coffee shop or any other time the two are together out of uniform.

“Once the practice is over, once the game is over, we leave everything at the gym,” Molly said. We don’t take it home. If she has a question, she could ask me, but we are basketball coach and player on the court, but at home, she’s just my daughter.”

The pair do their best to live by that rule. Once they’re on the court, Braidi does not get special attention. Every player is just as important as her, and Molly’s experience coaching her at other levels made this process seamless.

“We’ve been doing this for so long that it’s true. You do have to separate yourself,” Molly said. “I don’t look at her like my own kid. I coach her the same as everybody else.”

Molly the mom and Molly the coach is like two different people, Braidi said. 

“The coach is a lot more strict, like let’s get it, focuses on basketball a lot,” Braidi said. “My mom, she’s my everything. She’s funny, kind. It’s a lot different, but even when she’s on the court, she still shows her personality, and I wouldn’t want any other coach.”

As a freshman, Braidi should have plenty more time to play under her mother. When the day comes for Braidi to walk on senior night, Molly hopes she has been able to take as much from basketball as possible, regardless if she continues at the next level. 

“I think it’s so important to play sports because it will prepare you for the real world, which is not easy,” Molly said. “I want her to know how to step up, stand up for herself and take care of herself. Just also being on such a special team that is there to support each other, to know that she will always have these girls as her sisters for life is really important, more important than winning games.”