March 7, 2020

By Fred Liggett
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Starting a new job at a new school can result in a number of things for a new head coach. For Lee’s Summit West Girls basketball first year head coach Jared Broughton the result has been a number of unforgettable memories.

Broughton came to LS West from Oak Grove to take over the Titans girls basketball program, a program coming off from perfect conference season and a regular season that ended in a state quarter final round game. Since the start of the season the team has come together under the guidance of their new head coach and built on what was already in the program.

Near the end of the 2019-20 regular season the memorable moments for the new coach and his players began to happen one right after another. First came a suburban conference championship as the Titans repeated the achievement from a year ago but with a new leader. For Coach Broughton he was very proud of this achievement, “Winning conference was extremely tough, got a lot of great players and great coaches in the conference.” Broughton praised his team for winning the title in a league “with three teams having 17 wins or more on the season.”

Next memorable moment came away from the court as Coach Broughton and his wife welcomed a new son to the family named Grayson Gregory. Proud dad is quick to mention, “Grayson arrived at 8 pounds and 11 ounces,” which is a good size for a future Titan. Having a baby during the season can be hectic for a new coach and his wife as Broughton says, “Been kind of a whirlwind, my wife and I very fortunate.” Broughton adds, “Both baby and mom are doing well.” Having the support of his new team has meant a lot to Coach Broughton, “The support has been outstanding, the team even threw a baby shower, was a big surprise.”

The last memorable moment for Coach Broughton and his team was being named FOX4 Hy-Vee Team of the Week. Broughton says of the honor, “A really cool experience, Cool honor and means a lot to the program.” Coach adds, “The honor is a result of hard work put in by the team.”

The list of first year memorable moments for Coach Broughton may not be complete as the team continues to advance in the Class 5 state playoffs. As of press time the LS West Titans were set to play in the District Championship game against Belton. If the Titans continue to win Coach Broughton’s at his new school could end with a memorable moment the weekend of March 20-21 in Springfield, Missouri with a State Championship.