Episode #80- Brad Vaught, Head Women's Basketball Coach, North Iowa Area CC, Mason City, IA

Our guest for this episode of the Holding the Ladder in Sport and Leadership podcast is Brad Vaught. He is in his fifth season as the head coach of the NIACC women's basketball team, having built a NIACC career record of 68-45. In the 2023-24 season, Vaught's Trojans achieved their highest win total under his leadership, finishing with a 23-8 record and advancing to the NJCAA Region 11-B title game, where they were defeated by Iowa Western. Four players earned ICCAC all-region honors, with Madison Hillman being named the ICCAC Defensive Player of the Year. Anderson and Schroeder also earned all-tournament team selections, and the team had nine players named to the ICCAC academic all-region list.In previous seasons, Vaught led the Trojans to solid performances, including a 19-12 record in 2022-23, where they advanced to the regional tournament semifinals. Audrey Martinez-Stewart and Kourtney Manning earned all-region recognition. In his second season (2021-22), NIACC finished with a 22-9 record, and Alyssa Hames and Martinez-Stewart received all-region honors. His first season was marked by academic success, with the team being named NJCAA Women's Basketball Academic Team of the Year, and 12 players earning all-academic honors.Before becoming the head coach at NIACC, Vaught gained extensive coaching experience as an assistant coach at Stewartville High School and Rochester Mayo High School, and as the head men's basketball coach at Crossroads College. He also served in coaching roles with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx basketball academy and coached at the Karl-Anthony Towns basketball camp from 2017-2019. Vaught's diverse coaching background has shaped his success in leading the Trojans.More on Vaught: https://www.niacctrojans.com/sports/wbkb/coaches/vaught_brad