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.

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).

Many of her student-athletes find fulfilling careers. One of her former players, Nikkyana McCaskill, continued her time at CVCC by signing on as the Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach. Another athlete became the head coach for the Lady Royals Basketball Club of Western NC, and yet another graduate went to play for Queen City Pro-Am in Charlotte, NC.

Like these professional players, coach England has her own record of stunning achievements. She has been inducted into six Hall of Fames: the inaugural Hall of Fame at alma mater USC-Aiken (2007); inaugural Newton-Conover High School Hall of Fame (2010); inaugural All-Time NAIA District Six Women’s Basketball Team (2012); Catawba County Sports Hall of Fame (2013); NCHSAA Centennial Celebration “Top 100 Female Athletes to Remember” (2013); Catawba County Museum “For the Love of the Sport” (2020); and Black Catawba County in Hickory, N.C. (2021).

Along with this, she has also opened doors for all members of the women’s basketball team at CVCC. For example, she was the first coach in program history to lead the Catawba Valley Women’s Basketball team to the National Junior College Athletes Association (NJCAA) National Tournament in Michigan. At the time, our basketball team had only seven players—meaning every one of these Red Hawk student-athletes proved their ambition and talent. Coach England remains a significant member of Red Hawk Nation, and she is optimistic about her future prospects, whether personally or professionally. “I am most excited that my student-athletes will take on their higher learning and [get the chance to be] thrust into a new way of academics,” she remarks. How does she balance the reality of major wins and difficult losses? She implements her own advice—and gives herself the freedom of enjoying self-care day.

“Whether it’s a win or a lose, I give myself a 24-hour celebration or next-day mentality,” she says. “Putting the work in on a consistent basis will cause wins, and losses will cause us to learn.” Regardless of the outcome, England has one priority: to build teams with character, integrity, great work ethic, discipline, and positive relationships. “My greatest accomplishment as a coach is and always has been to see the growth of my student-athletes as women with a purpose,” she concludes. “I believe if all these characteristics are in order, the players I coach will win in more than one way.”