Bio

BRANDON PRITCHETT is in his fifth year leading the MCC Women’s Basketball team with a winning percentage above 60 percent. The Lady Indians won the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference title going 5-1, but in Region IX south play the team went 6-4 and 14-17 overall. (After the season, MCC was awarded two of those wins against Western Nebraska by forfeit, because of an ineligible player).

Pritchett's squad finished 10th best in the nation in free-throw percentage, shooting 73.2 percent.

Two players from the 2022-2023 team were named to the all-Region IX South Sub-Region team and one player was named to the all-defensive team. Sophomore Vanessa Jurewicz (Stockholm, Sweden) and redshirt freshman Taryn Lindsey, (Fountain, Colo.) were named to the all-South team and freshman Gemma Gruettner Bacoul (Berlin, Germany) was selected to the all-defensive team. Jurewicz and Lindsey were also named to the first-team all-Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference team and Gruettner Bacoul received honorable mention.

Jurewicz, a 5-7 guard, was second among Region IX south players in scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game and fifth in field goal percentage, connecting on 40.2 percent of her shots. She signed on to division 1 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Lindsey led all Region IX south players in free-throw shooting at 85 percent – 11th best in the country. She made 147 out of 173 shots from the line this year. Additionally, she averaged 12.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. She will continue her career at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, a division 2 program.

Valentina Monzo Diaz, 6-2 forward from Santiago, Chili, will play at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, a division 1 school. In her MCC career she played in 39 games, scored 185 points, grabbed 114 rebounds and dished out 36 assists. Itziar Aransay Badia, a 5-8 guard from El Prat d Llobregat, Spain is moving on to Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. For her career, Badia played in 52 games, scored 152 points, averaged 2.9 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.

Here is a look at Pritchett's time at MCC:

YEAR            W-L          WINNING %

2022-23       14-17             .452  

2021-22       19-12             .600

2020-21       15-9               .625    

2019-20       23-9               .719

TOTAL        71-47             (.602) 

With the four players from last year’s squad moving on, 17 former players have moved on to four-year programs. Following the 2021-2022 season, Maite Lara Garcia (Sant Joan Despt) Spain became the first women’s basketball player in more than 12 years to sign a letter of intent to play at a NCAA Division I program when she signed on at Detroit Mercy in Michigan. She was one of six sophomores moving on to four-year schools that year.

From Pritchett’s first team, three players from the 2019-20 squad extended the collegiate careers. Makenna Bodette moved on to play at South Dakota Mines (NCAA, D2), Paula Rosello Mateu (Barcelona, Spain) went to for Christian Brothers University in Memphis (NCAA, D2) and Nicola Cross signed with the University of Indiana-Kokomo (NAIA).

On the 2020-21 team, four players moved on. Jessika Espinoza played at New Mexico Highlands (NCAA, D2), Amiya Dartest went to Louisiana Christian College (NCAA, D3), Gail Whiting signed with Middle Georgia State (NAIA), and Sydney Sandford went on to the US Virgin Island University (NAIA).

In addition to Lara Garcia’s signing with D1 Detroit Mercy, the five other sophomores from the 2021-22 MCC team that moved on included Sonia Sato who went to (NCAA, D1 Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C. and Shelby Clark and Yzabelle Tevao both signed with (NCAA, D1) Chicago State. Alyssa Van Vleet signed on with D2 Drury University in Springfield, Mo (NCAA D2) and Carla Torrubia Cano went to Wheeling University (NCAA, D2).

From 2010-2019, Pritchett served as an assistant for the men’s program where he helped produce 28 all- conference players, nine all-Region IX players, two all-Region IX tournament players, three National Junior College Athletic Association national player of the week honorees and a NCCAC Player of the Year. He also coached eight academic all-Americans and 23 academic all-conference players.

Pritchett began his coaching career as an assistant at Flagstaff High School in Arizona. A native of Arizona, Pritchett graduated from the University of Northern Arizona in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management and a coaching minor. He received his Master’s degree in Sport Management from the United States Sports Academy. As part of his master’s program he oversaw the development and launch of the McCook Community College Indians Athletic website. He also serves as Area Assistant Director of Advising for Mid-Plains Community College.

Brandon and his wife Jasmine live in McCook, along with their three daughters Amiya, Leiya, Zaiya, and son, Nyjah.