Jim Brown said it was never about reaching a milestone.

It&8217;s not why he started coaching the Briarwood Lady Lions 13 years ago and it&8217;s not why he&8217;ll keep on coaching them for years to come. But after earning his 300th win one week ago with a victory over the Mountain Brook Spartans, Brown admits that reaching the mark is not something to take lightly.

&8220;I&8217;m definitely not unappreciative of what it takes to get here,&8221; he said. &8220;It&8217;s a milestone that I&8217;m definitely proud of. But I&8217;m happy that it&8217;s finally come and just as happy that it&8217;s finally gone.&8221;

Brown takes as little credit as he can for the success he&8217;s seen at Briarwood, saying that it&8217;s the people surrounding him who deserve to be recognized.

&8220;You can&8217;t be successful without good people around you,&8221; he said. &8220;I&8217;ve had an opportunity to teach at a great place with great students and coach a number of very talented athletes.&8221;

Brown&8217;s career at Briarwood began in 1982 when he was invited to teach government and economics at the school. He began coaching Lions athletic teams soon afterward, working with the freshman football and basketball teams. He spent six years as the boy&8217;s varsity basketball coach before starting with the girls in the 1993-94 season.

Numerous region and area titles later, Brown said he still enjoys coaching the girls squad because of their loyalty and competitive drive.

&8220;They will give you everything that they&8217;ve got every game,&8221; he said. &8220;It really makes you feel good to see how hard they try.&8221;

Brown still teaches his government and economics class at Briarwood and has been at the school longer than any other teacher. He laughs when he talks about getting the opportunity to both teach and coach some of his players.

&8220;We have a lot of fun,&8221; he said. &8220;In a lot of different ways, they&8217;re like my own kids.&8221;

Brown&8217;s wife, Lisa, has been an ever-present support for her husband from his first game as head coach. Still today, she can be found sitting right behind the team bench. The coach is proud to say that he wouldn&8217;t be where he is today if it wasn&8217;t for her.

&8220;She&8217;s been to a lot of basketball games,&8221; he said. &8220;She&8217;s sat on a lot of hard seats and gone on a lot of long road trips over the years. I know that there&8217;s no way I could do what I do without her support.&8221;

The Browns&8217; two sons attended Briarwood and played football for the Lions. Their daughter is currently a member of the Lady Lions basketball squad.

Ask Brown what was most important about the 64-46 win over Mountain Brook last week and you will hear nothing about a milestone or his storied coaching career.

&8220;We&8217;re 14-2 after that win,&8221; he said. &8220;We had some great success in the &8217;90s. But since we got bumped to the 5A level, we have not won an area championship.

&8220;As a coach, once you taste that success it&8217;s hard not to get there on a regular basis. I think our team this season

has a great chance to go a very long way.&8221;