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Bria Holmes. Photo by Middletown Press



WNBA
player is
new coach
Bria Holmes is ready for a change.
Putnam Science Academy was more than happy to provide her an opportunity for one.
PSA hired Holmes last week as the school’s new girls’ basketball coach, a break of sorts for Holmes from the rigors of a professional career that included a year-round schedule of the WNBA and overseas repeated for essentially the last seven years.
“I just think it was the right time for me, as far as my career, as far as being able to be home with my daughter and still be around the game that I fell in love with,” said Holmes, a former McDonald’s high school all-American who played at West Virginia University before being a first-round draft pick of the Atlanta Dream in 2016.
“I just think it’s a great opportunity for me, and who knows what doors it can open for all of us? Being able to help and share my journey and my experiences with these girls, and help mold them into the student-athletes they should be on and off the court in order to be successful is my mission and has always been my vision.”
The 28-year-old Holmes, who is currently finishing her contract overseas in the Czech Republic, will take time off as a professional to “be a mom (she has a 4-year-old daughter) and help young girls follow their dream.” She inherits a PSA team that has finished fourth in the last two national tournaments and is expected to return three of its top four scorers from last year.
“This is an incredible opportunity for us to bring someone with Bria’s experience into Putnam Science Academy,” Dean of Athletics Tom Espinosa said. “Bria has big expectations of herself and her players and we are looking forward to her getting started.”
Following her Hall of Fame career at WVU, Holmes was the 11th overall pick by Atlanta in the 2016 WNBA Draft and spent two seasons with the Dream before being traded to the Connecticut Sun, with whom she went to the Finals in 2019. She signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Sparks prior to the 2021 season.
“I’m a girl from New Haven, Connecticut who dreamed,” she said. “I had a great high school career, I had an incredible college experience at West Virginia, I’ve played in the WNBA and overseas.
“I’m living proof that even without certain outlets, you can still have a dream and you can still make it out. You have to dream big and believe in yourself. Anything is possible. It’s possible. I made it out. And now I want to be able to share my experiences and my journey with these girls and let them know that whatever you’re going through, if you have a dream just stick to it and work at it and anything can happen.”
Aside from her own AAU program that she used to have, this will be Holmes’ first coaching job. She knows there will be some learning on the fly but is confident that her experiences give her a head start.
“I’ve been playing basketball since I was 5 years old, so I’ve had a lot of coaches over the years,” she said. “There are things you learn from each of them, things you pick up if you’re paying attention, things you like and don’t like. I never had a thing for coaching, honestly. I just knew I had the experience and tools to coach if I ever decided to.
“Being away from my daughter so much made me open my eyes to other things. It’s
bigger than basketball for me, it always has been. And it’s bigger than me too. Being able to be that outlet and a go-to person for these female athletes, it’s an honor. I’m grateful for the opportunity to do this.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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