For Gracee Dishman, the gym at Cumberland County High School has always felt like home. This season, she is back where her basketball journey began, not in a jersey, but on the sideline, guiding the next generation of Lady Jets.
Dishman is in her first year as an assistant coach for the Lady Jets, who currently stand at 14-10 on the season. The former Cumberland County Lady Jet player and Bryan College basketball player has traded fast breaks for film sessions, and box scores for practice plans, embracing what she said as the other side of it.
“Always work hard no matter what,” Dishman said. “Just enjoy it, have fun, just, work hard, but don’t let anyone ever take the love fun from you and just have fun while doing it.”
Dishman’s return to Crossville comes full circle. As a player at Cumberland County High School, she was one of the top scorers in the state, earning statewide recognition and becoming a Miss Basketball finalist. Her scoring touch and relentless energy carried her to the college level, where she played three seasons at Bryan College, an NAIA program in Tennessee.
At Bryan, Dishman emerged as one of the Appalachian Athletic Conference’s most dynamic players. She earned Player of the Year honors and national recognition, overcoming early-career injuries to become a team leader and one of the conference’s top scorers.
Now, that experience is shaping her approach to coaching.
“Just being able to be on the other side of it,” Dishman said. “Being able to share that knowledge and kind of coach them through it, it’s been a really awesome experience for me.”
Dishman said one of her early goals with the Lady Jets has been setting the tone on defense. Dishman said she is focused on instilling the same edge in her players.
“I think they have a lot of grit,” Dishman said. “They have so much grit, so much hustle, and I think it’s going to take us a long ways for sure.”
Dishman said emphasis on defensive intensity has become a calling card for the Jets as they push through the second half of the season, leaning on effort and energy as much as execution.
Adding another layer to Dishman’s homecoming is who she is coaching alongside. She now serves as assistant coach under Radhika Dishman, the same coach who guided her during her high school playing days.
Before stepping into her role with the Lady Jets, Dishman gained experience as a middle school assistant coach, a step Dishman said helped prepare her for the responsibilities and perspective of the varsity level.
Dishman said this season is about more than wins and losses. It is about giving back to the program that helped shape her, and laying the foundation for a future in coaching.