To find out just how much Kirstin Brown meant to Tanner, just listen to opposing coaches talk about her. Whether it was at the Northwest Regional or the Final 48 State Tournament, every opposing coach made sure their team knew where No. 40 was on the court.

“No. 40 (Brown) is just a really strong athlete and she just kind of outmanned us in the post,” Winston County coach Becky Cobb said at the Northwest Regional finals. “We got her in foul trouble and we thought it would give us a leg up. That was our goal was to take it to her and hope she fouled us.”

Cobb’s words echo just about every coach that faced Brown this season and for another standout season with the Rattlers, Brown was voted Limestone County’s Most Valuable Player by the county’s six varsity girls coaches.

Tanner head coach Larry Greene had the luxury of coaching Brown the last five years while the county’s other five coaches had the headache of playing against her multiple times each season. The three-time all-state selection will be missed by whatever coach takes over for Greene, who recently retired.

This season, she was again a first-team all-state selection in Class 2A after leading her team to the state championship game in Birmingham earlier this month. Although Brown did not have the high school career ending she wanted, losing in the state finals, she has plenty to be proud of.

Brown finished her high school career with more than 2,200 career points and over 1,100 rebounds. During her senior season, Brown averaged 19.6 points and 11 rebounds. She recorded a double-double 27 times out of 30 games in every game of the postseason.

Her most impressive game of the season game in the 2A semifinals when she scored 27 points and grabbed 25 rebounds in a win over R.C. Hatch. Brown’s latest honor was representing Tanner in the Alabama-Mississippi all-star game a few weeks, becoming just the third player in school history to do so.