money Jack Britt girls basketball coach Nattlie McArthur picks up milestone win
Everything Jack Britt girls basketball coach Nattlie McArthur wants to accomplish goes beyond what can be seen in a record book.
After picking up the 200th win of her coaching career Monday with a 42-33 victory against Seventy-First, McArthur reflected on a 14-season journey with the Buccaneers that led to her milestone moment.
“It’s bigger than basketball — that’s my philosophy,” McArthur said.
“If the kids understand you care about them outside of that basketball court, they’ll give you what you need inside those lines.”
McArthur, who was hired to take over at Britt in 2009, has helped the program reach new heights on the court. She led the Bucs to back-to-back conference championships in 2020-21, including a school-record 24 wins in 2020.
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“Coach Mac” has been a staple in Cumberland County as the second-longest tenured girls basketball coach behind E.E. Smith’s Dee Hardy.
A player at South View in the 1990s and later an assistant coach under Tigers legend Brent Barker, McArthur said Barker and Jack Britt boys basketball coach Ike Walker Jr. helped mold who she wanted to be as a coach.
Barker and Walker have combined to win more than 800 games.
“As a player, I didn’t think I would be a coach. It wasn’t the direction I was going into, that door just kind of opened up,” McArthur said.
“. … I never envisioned the 200 (wins). It’s longevity, it’s understanding that it’s bigger than basketball and you’re there for a purpose. Seeing the girls come back and pour into the program, those are the things that are kind of mind-blowing. This isn’t something that I ever envisioned. Growing up, I just loved the game and wanted to be around the game. Then, I got to the point where I wanted to give back.”
Learning to adapt with different groups on a yearly basis, McArthur has shown an ability to rebound from tough stretches. After finishing with a 5-17 record last season, the Buccaneers are 19-6 and in position for a return to the NCHSAA playoffs.
“You have to know how to push them so that you can bring out the best in them,” she said. “I’ve learned that not all players are the same and their ‘want’ looks different. … I had to learn how to change and what it took to push the kids to give you their best.”
Even as she celebrates her milestone victory, McArthur is quick to give a nod to the people along the way that guided her to this point.
“When I think about the 200 wins, I think about the kids that have come through the program — just the ladies that I’ve been able to coach that helped make this possible — as well as the coaches on my staff and family,” she said.
“I automatically go to the people that helped make this possible.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NCHSAA basketball: Jack Britt girls coach Nattlie McArthur reaches 200 wins
