AT H L E T I C S
TISHA SHEMONE ENGLAND
The outstanding story of a Red Hawks coach. Coach England is a Catawba Valley standout. She has served as the head coach of the Red Hawks women’s basketball team for more than a decade, taking the sideline to continue the program after the first coach, Tommy Edwards, retired from the college. England’s work at CVCC has brought forth astounding athletic achievements—and she continues to shine a light on her Red Hawk student-athletes. England’s passion for basketball began in elementary school, when she found herself bored at home and decided to start attending her older sister’s basketball practices at Newton Recreation. Her consistent appearance did not go unnoticed; eventually, her sister’s team invited her to play during practice. Getting the chance to go head-to-head on the court really sparked her dreams to life. “I soon realized that I liked the challenges and the object to score the ball in the basket,” England recalls. From a young age, people identified her as a leader, as she was told time and time again that she would make a great teacher and coach. Unsure of all the responsibilities this path required, however, England was convinced that coaching was not a feasible goal for her. She continued to play basketball throughout high school and joined her college team at USC-Aiken for two years. During her college career, she quickly rose to the top. England got to play at the NAIA All-Conference and the NAIA All-District as a Freshmen and Sophomore, holding the scoring record at USC-Aiken and the Conference with 20.0 points per game. Before graduation, she became the only USC-Aiken basketball player, male or female, to ever win the Peach Belt Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
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Along with these impressive credits, England was reapproached by her college mentor, who asked her to help coach an AAU team. Though originally, she felt this was way off her radar, England soon discovered that working with young people and children was a great privilege, and she stayed with the AAU team for a while. After finding much success, this position quickly evolved to assisting at Newton Conover High School, which then turned into another position as a collegiate coach. Her time at CVCC began in 2010, when Women’s Basketball coach and team founder Tommy Edwards asked England to work as an assistant. For the next two years, England got to learn more about Red Hawk athletics, and eventually took on the role of Head Coach in 2012. It may sound daunting to create a team of women with diverse personalities, values, and work ethics together on the court. But with a daily agenda and a bit of encouragement, England has brought to life a team of Red Hawk student-athletes who are both committed to the game and committed to each other. “I believe in teaching, re-teaching, and repetition,” England says, noting that she has developed a highintensity condition routine, for her athletes which includes weights, yoga, and running, along with regular court practice. Being a college athlete is almost a full-time job; a player’s intensity, time management skills, self-discipline, and organization are all vital to the sport (and self-care is a large aspect of overall performance).
