The breakout top team of the MIAA season so far? It might be Braintree.

At 15-1, Braintree is third in the Division 1 power rankings, 10th in our MIAA Top 10 and already the Bay State Conference regular season champion. Kelley Macdonald is in her second year leading the team, orchestrating a dramatic rise to the front of Division 1.

Macdonald isn't a Braintree newbie. She had previously been an assistant coach for two decades and was in the program for five state championships. That includes the dynasty run of the 2010s, when Macdonald was part of four state title teams under good friend and current Norwood head coach Kristen McDonnell.

Macdonald joined the HoopWise Podcast and reflected on her years as an assistant, what she learned a long the way and why she finally moved up to head coach. She also discussed this year's squad and what's making the success click.

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Highlights

How did you approach your lifestyle and responsibilities as an assistant for Kristen McDonnell?

Macdonald: "My thing was, I just needed to be there at all times. As a varsity coach, you're dealing with a lot of teenagers all the time and by yourself a lot of the time, so I just always wanted to make sure she was never by herself in the gym She always had an adult to talk to, someone that she could bounce things off of. I wanted to show up for her for not just games and practices; I'd stay later with her, making sure things ran smoothly when it came to behind the scenes kind of things, if I could do anything to take an offer plate. Because when it comes down to it, Kristen was making all the decisions."

Frankie Spadorcia has had her own breakout season on your team. What's working so well for her?

Macdonald: "I think she's kind of one of those late bloomers to begin with. I didn't even take her on JV when she was a freshman,
which is terrible. She basically showed me right away that I made a mistake. So I think athletically, I think she's just really kind of coming into her own right now. ... I think she also just had a really great volleyball season. She was MVP of the league in volleyball as well. So I think she's just feeling like that definitely helped confidence-wise. The beginning of the season, she wasn't scoring a lot for us, but we also didn't need her to. But yeah, she's feeling much more confident offensively."

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The HoopWise podcast can be streamed here and on major platforms, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.