Maryland women’s basketball graduate student Lavender Briggs recently chatted with PressBox about playing hoops growing up in Utah, her decision to transfer to Maryland and more. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 7.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game for the Terps in 2022-23, her first year with the program after transferring from Florida. Briggs is a native of Newburgh, N.Y., and graduate of Provo High School in Utah.
PressBox: How did you become interested in basketball?
Lavender Briggs: I think I first became interested in basketball by just watching my brothers play and my dad and my mom. My whole family likes basketball, so I grew up in a basketball environment. When I was little, we would go to the park and just shoot around and stuff, so I think that’s when I first became interested in it.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
LB: I’d say my older brother, Darrian. I just worked out with him a lot. He taught me a lot of things. My dad, [Franklin], was also a big influence because he coached me hard. My mom, [June], always pushed me from a young age. She was the coach of my little AAU teams and stuff like that. She was a big influence as well.
PB: You averaged 32.2 points and 12.5 rebounds per game as a senior in high school. What was that season like?
LB: It was fun. It was a lot of fun. I was playing with some of my friends on my high school team. I was really just trying to accomplish my goals that I set. My goal was to be a McDonald’s All-American and go to the Jordan Brand Classic game. I didn’t get picked for McDonald’s. I feel like I got snubbed, but I was invited to Jordan Brand and that was an amazing experience and I’m thankful for that. It was so much fun.
PB: Is Utah an underrated hoops region?
LB: Yeah, definitely. I think sports in general there — definitely basketball, though, for sure, which is why I think it’s hard to get exposure coming from Utah.
PB: What would your advice be for players who aren’t necessarily growing up in basketball hotbeds?
LB: My advice would probably be just to get on a circuit. If you can get on a circuit — whether that’s Under Armour, Nike, adidas — there are always going to be college coaches going to those games and those tournaments. If you can play against other teams and other good players, then you’ll definitely get noticed.
PB: Why did you initially choose to go to Florida?
LB: I originally chose to go to Florida based on my relationships that I had with my coaches that were recruiting me from there. I also liked that the program kind of fell off and it wasn’t where it used to be, so I went there to kind of rebuild that and help them get back to where they used to be.
PB: Why did you choose Maryland as a transfer?
LB: First, when I knew I was transferring, I was watching games of teams I would be interested in. I knew that Maryland would be losing some key players, so I was interested in that. Not only that, but location. I feel like this is a good location for basketball. It’s closer to family up here, because I have family in New York, family in Charlotte and family in Philadelphia, so closer to family that way. And also, [Maryland head coach Brenda Frese is] a great basketball coach. She’s one of the greatest to have ever coached. She knows what she’s doing, and I knew she would be able to help me get to where I want to go.
PB: What’s your favorite memory from your college career so far?
LB: I’d have to say last year, honestly. Going to the Elite Eight was really fun. It was always one of my goals while I was at Florida to make it to the tournament. I got injured, so I never got the chance to do that. But just making it to the Elite Eight and getting to play against other top competition in front of our fans and the whole country, it was really fun and cool and it was a great experience to have with my friends.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about the University of Maryland?
LB: I’d say basketball. The culture here for basketball is so strong. Men’s basketball, women’s basketball, everybody takes basketball seriously here. Florida was pretty big on basketball, but they were more of a football school. Everybody knew them for football. Coming here, the focus is more on basketball. It helps you stay focused and enjoy playing more.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about College Park?
LB: I’d say my favorite thing about College Park is just the location. There are a lot of things to do here. You can go to Baltimore. You can go to D.C. You’re kind of smack in the middle of places, so there’s a lot to do in those places. It’s just like a 25, 30-minute drive.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
LB: Last year it was Diamond [Miller, now with the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx]. I think this year it’s Allie [Kubek]. I don’t really have a story, but we did become close when it was really only us here in the summer, just me and Allie. Everybody else had gone to USA [Basketball] in Colorado. Me and Allie were still here training and just working out in the summer. We became really close friends and we’ve been close ever since.
PB: What are your goals for after basketball, whenever it ends?
LB: My goals for after basketball would be to just feel like I fulfilled my dreams and accomplished everything that I wanted to accomplish with basketball. Probably just close that chapter and start getting into other business endeavors that I’ve always dreamed about doing, and just really focusing on life in places that I couldn’t focus on with basketball because basketball does take up a lot of time.
PB: What are some of the business endeavors you’ve been dreaming about?
LB: I want to have a luxury shoe and clothing company. I do want to do real estate. Just a couple of those things.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox