Approximately two months after former head coach Carol Simon resigned, the search for the new Brandeis women’s basketball head coach found success this past summer. Julie Prichett was officially named the new head coach of the Brandeis women's basketball team by the new Brandeis Athletic Director, Jessica Chapain, on June 24. 

Simon’s retirement came after nearly a year of paid administrative leave while allegations from players citing a toxic team environment were being investigated. After allegations involving racist remarks made by Simon, negligence related to injuries and mental health and a litany of frustration over their losing record, several players announced their adamant refusal to play under her if she were to be rein- stated. 

Under pressure to revamp the coaching staff, Prichett was selected as an experienced and successful candidate with 15 seasons as a head coach under her belt. She left her most recent position as the assis- tant coach of the Babson College women’s basketball team where she helped lead three years of winning records, including two trips to the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament and a berth to the quarterfinals in 2023 for the first time since 2011. 

Prior to her time at Babson, Prichett started out at Regis College where she coached for eight years. At Regis, Prichett’s teams accumulated a 128-87 winning record and she ended her time there after leading the Pride to the NCAA tournament during the 2012-13 season. 

She then became the head coach for the women’s basketball team at Saint Anselm College where she took over a team with nine straight losing seasons. During her first season there, Prichett secured a 15-12 record and wound up taking her team to the national tournament in the 2015-2016 season. The Hawks also made it to three conference tournaments under her coaching there. Prichett then served as the head coach of the Pine Manor College women’s basketball team for three seasons and was their athletic director before Pine Manor was absorbed by Boston College in 2020. 

She also led her team there to a winning record and earned American Collegiate Athletic Association Coach of the Year honors in 2020. 

Jessica Nichols-LaRosa, announced as the Judges’ recent assistant coach pick on August 7th, graduated from Manhattanville College with her Bachelors of Arts in 2019 and MA in 2021. She started her coaching career first as an assistant coach and then as a head coach for one season each at her alma mater, Randolph High School. Last season, Nichols-LaRosa was the assistant coach at Dean’s college, where even though the Bulldogs’s won only two games, the team was honored with the Great Northeast Athletic Conference institutional sportsmanship award. 

As a player, Prichett was a star for the University of Southern Maine. She earned many accolades during her time there, including most notably a Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All American Honor Roll title and a Little East Player of the Year award for the 1999-2000 season. She was also inducted into the New England 

Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. As a player, Nichols-LaRosa was a two-time Mid-American Conference Academic Honor Roll recipient. 

The 2024-25 season for the Judges will start in November. The context in which the Brandeis women’s basketball team stood at the end of last year was rife with controversy and uncertainty; now, the team and its fans welcome rebuilding thanks to a young and hungry coaching staff with new perspective, motivation, and something to prove.