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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

ALABASTER – The Thompson Warriors will have their third different head coach in as many seasons as they turn to a fellow Class 7A, Area 5 team for their next leader.

Thompson High School officially named former Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa head coach Nick Browder as their new head varsity women’s basketball coach on Monday, April 28. Browder was approved at a special-called Alabaster City Schools Board of Education meeting on Thursday, April 24.

“I am honored and excited to join Thompson High School,” Browder said. “I look forward to working with our student-athletes, parents, and community to continue building a program we can all be proud of.”

Browder comes to Alabaster after turning Hillcrest into one of the top girls basketball programs in the entire state of Alabama.

After joining the Patriots in 2020, he racked up a 129-34 record over the course of five seasons. His teams have reached the Final Four in each of the last three seasons, including in Class 6A in 2023 and 2024 before moving up to Class 7A and repeating the feat in 2025.

That 2024 team racked up a 27-8 record and defeated Pelham to reach the Final Four, and Browder earned the Class 6A Girls Basketball Coach of the Year award from the Alabama Association of Basketball Coaches as a result.

That success carried over into Class 7A where Hillcrest started the season 28-0 and finished the regular season with a 33-3 record. The Patriots’ only losses were to two out-of-state teams and then to Hoover in the Class 7A state championship game in a tight 51-44 loss.

Hillcrest defeated Thompson for the area championship game to clinch the top spot at regionals and cap off a perfect 3-0 record against the Warriors over the course of the season.

The Hillcrest job was Browker’s first varsity head coaching position of his career. He previously served as the head coach at Duncanville Middle School and Hale County Middle School. He also played junior college basketball at Shelton State before finishing his education at the University of Alabama.

“We are thrilled to welcome coach Browder to the Warrior family,” Thompson athletic director Vincent Pitts said. “His passion for developing young athletes, commitment to excellence and winning pedigree make him a perfect fit for our program. We are excited for the future of Thompson women’s basketball and will continue moving our program forward under his leadership.”

Browder takes over from Madison Pierce, who accepted the interim coaching position just six weeks before the season started after serving as assistant since 2019.

Pierce managed a frequently shorthanded roster that also lost its top player in Jayla Forbes to Montverde and secured a 12-14 record, including a 2-6 area mark. She helped the Warriors defeat Prattville by two in the area semifinals to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

As a result, she was named a finalist for Shelby County Coach of the Year for girls basketball. Pierce resigned at the end of the season, leading Thompson to hire Browder as a coach.

Now, Browder will aim to continue the Warriors’ upward trajectory and build a consistent winner for years to come.