Everyone has heard the saying “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” The same can be said of NSU women’s basketball assistant coach Brooklyn Kohlheim. She is an eccentric personality, who is total non-stop action, but she enjoys nothing more than to sit back and read anything she can get her hands on.
Kohlheim has experienced a lot life has to offer. She tries to constantly satisfy her need for knowledge. She is continuously on the go and has been for most of her life.
“I have an extremely thirsty brain. I guess you can say I’m a dork — little nerdy. I like to read a lot. I don’t think many people would think that about me,” said Kohlheim.
Born in LaGrange, Ind., Kohlheim and her family moved to Fort Meyers, Fla. at a young age. She attended Bishop Verot Catholic High School and then enrolled at Florida Southern University in Lakeland, Fla. There, she received her bachelor’s in history. Basketball was the constant for Kohlheim in each phase of her life.
“Being born in Indiana, you are pretty much born into basketball. My dad was a coach and a teacher, so that’s just how I have been raised — in a basketball gym and in the classroom,” said Kohlheim. “I must have been in first grade, maybe kindergarten. I can remember being in Indiana and the boys and girls [high school basketball teams] would play back-to-back. My dad would coach the girls and my brother played for the boys and I was the halftime show doing ball-handling drills.”
Teaching and coaching have many similarities and doing both crossed Kohlheim’s mind on many occasions, including when she was a player.
“Yeah, I feel like I was an opinionated player. I was coachable — don’t get me wrong — but if my coaches ever asked ‘What do you think?’ I definitely had thoughts in my mind of what to say when they would ask me that. I think I’ve always wanted to be a coach,” said Kohlheim. “I’ve always been fascinated with the game.”
While she was studying abroad during her senior year in college, Kohlheim considered giving up basketball.
“When I first graduated, I wanted to live the simple life. I wanted to be a waiter at Chili’s and serve fajitas all day and be happy with that. Turns out I wasn’t so happy with that,” said Kohlheim. “I thought that because I studied abroad in Costa Rica and was like, ‘There is more to life than basketball.’”
It was an eye-opening experience for her. All the culture she was able to soak in brought new ways of thinking about her life.
“It was fun. You went to school from 9 to 12. From noon to 5, we were just hanging around the city and seeing all the sights,” said Kohlheim. “Every weekend I would go surfing. It was a blast and I recommend it to anyone.”
After her time in Costa Rica and graduating from Florida Southern, Kohlheim tried her hand at teaching. Fort Meyers High Scholl gave her a call and offered her the position of a reading and health teacher. Although
Kohlheim was more than capable of fulfilling the requirements asked of her, she later got a call that would bring her back to the game she loves and put her on a new course in life.
“[NSU women’s basketball] Head Coach LeAnn Freeland called me about a job opening on her staff at the University of Indianapolis where I got a master’s in curriculum and instruction,” said Kohlheim. “One [year] as a graduate assistant and one as full-time assistant coach.”
After a four-year stint at the University of Indianapolis, Freeland was offered the women’s basketball team head coaching job at NSU. Kohlheim was not far behind.
“Then she got a call to come down here and then I came with her,” said Kohlheim.
Kohlheim is happy to be back in South Florida for several reasons. She is back in the place where she grew up and spent most of her basketball and school career. But those aren’t the only reasons.
Indiana isn’t known for its water sports or activities, the way Florida or Costa Rica are, but the water is Kohlheim’s second home.
“I like to fish a lot. I’m into fly fishing because I think it looks cool. I’m not good, I haven’t caught anything, but it looks cool. I like to surf … I’m a water bug — anything beach affiliated,” said Kohlheim.
She has thought to how she would like to be remembered as a coach both now and after her coaching career has concluded.
“I would like to known or remembered as a coach that genuinely cares about their athletes and wants the best for them,” said Kohlheim.
There is not much Kohlheim hasn’t experienced in her life. School and basketball have taken her places she might never have seen otherwise. Because she has taken all the skills she has accumulated over the years and focused them into her coaching style, there is one guarantee: there is no one like Brooklyn Kohlheim.
