A change of play for North Penn’s Girls Basketball drives the team towards a new beginning. Coach Brianna Cullen, the new head coach, plans to rebuild the team and improve their skills so they can find success. This new addition strives to bring a new perspective of the game as they climb their way to the top.
As a previous player for the team, Cullen is happy to return to her home court. In 2014, playing for the Knights was one of the many highlights of her basketball journey. Cullen hopes that her accomplishments from her high school experience reflect onto the current team.

“I am so happy to be back. It feels like nothing has changed. I was on a very successful team here, and I am very excited to take my experience from going here on a successful team and bringing that back now. I am so excited to be home,” Cullen expressed.

Growing up as a basketball player, Cullen started playing when she was six years old and continued to improve as a player ever since. Transitioning from playing at North Penn to playing at Weidner and Chestnut Hill helped Cullen prepare to take on the leadership role as a coach. She is still currently competing in leagues. In Cullen’s last year of college, the player suffered from a fractured back that took her out for the season but was provided with the opportunity to play for a fifth year. That was the moment that made her realize that she was made to be a coach. Cullen coached two seasons at Chestnut Hill, AAU teams, and many local Rec leagues. The coach enjoyed those experiences so much that she finally decided to take the position as an official head coach. With a young team, Cullen plans to grow and build a culture with her players. She is ready to see progression in her team and continue to take steps forward throughout the season.

“During my fifth year, once I realized that I have gotten older and more mature, I knew basketball was coming to an end, and I wasn’t ready to give that up. I was taking on a leadership role by playing for a fifth year. I also took on the role of a graduate assistant while I was coaching. I loved it so much and that was when I knew that this was exactly what I wanted to do,” Cullen stated.

Not only does Coach Cullen instruct her team for the Knights, but she also is growing a career at North Penn. Working in the special education department for the school has helped Cullen expand her leadership and communication skills. Cullen sees herself taking the techniques she uses in her job onto the court so the team can accomplish their goals. The connection the new coach has with the community, and her experience that she went through at the school advanced Cullen into getting the coaching position. The new addition has the intention to grow with the team and keep with this commitment for years to come.

“I am very committed. I give 100 percent to everything I do, especially this. All my free time is centered around basketball. I am looking to build a program and longevity to be here and become successful over multiple years,” Cullen explained.
Filling in the shoes of Coach Carangi, who coached the team for a long time, Cullen takes on the pressure of the intense job. Cullen takes this pressure and turns it into excitement and eagerness to continue the team’s successes. The new leader strives to not only succeed on the court, but also with community involvement. By taking part in coat drives, sponsoring families and townships, volunteering at Manna on Main Street will help bring the community back together. Even after a difficult year in the community, Cullen plans to make a comeback on the court. Growing as basketball players, the team has become even more mature and developed than in previous years. The coach plans to take this improvement into their gameplay and hopes to do better with the team’s winning streak.
“I do not believe that the record from last year reflects on the talent that was on the team. I think the team has a fire under them from last year to help them become more successful this year,” Cullen observed.
Returning player, Kelsie Macintosh, who is in her fourth and final year playing for the high school, is excited to have a young coach who can grow with her team. With the coach bringing energy every day to practice, Macintosh sees this new asset as a good thing. The player likes the fast game that Cullen is providing, especially with a young team. Macintosh is ready to take on the leadership role as the only eligible senior on the team and assist the team to a winning season as her high school career comes to an end.

“She is doing amazing. As a young coach, I know it’s really hard to step into a role with all these players relying on you, but she is doing great. We put in a lot of new plays this year so everything is different. Usually, it’s the same plays every four years, but now we are learning just as she is learning,” Macintosh noted.
The love Cullen has for basketball reflects on the coach that she is becoming. The athlete realized that she could not keep playing the game that she loved forever. Yet, she was not ready to give up this passion. The best way to continue improving at the game was to become a coach. With her strong communication skills and the confidence, she has in the people around her, Cullen has no doubts that this team will succeed and only get better from where they are now.
“It’s a different type of experience because there’s a lot of outside factors working in. I love it because all the things that were important to me as a player, I can now implement to other players and hopefully build that up throughout other girls,” Cullen assured.
Success is coming the team’s way and Coach Cullen is prepared to improve and grow as the season progresses. Come out and support the Knights against Central Bucks West on December 14 for their first game on their home court.