Town Topics: Aiming to Build on Culture of Excellence, Support, Lyons Takes the Helm of Stuart Country Day Athletics

By Bill Alden

After producing a superb senior season for the Brooklyn College women’s basketball team in 2009-10, Frances Lyons was looking to play pro ball overseas.

But when potential opportunities in Poland and Puerto Rico fell through, Lyons decided to take another path.

“I kept training and signed with an agent,” said Lyons. “But if I was not going to go in normally and know that something is guaranteed, I would rather just stop and go into what I wanted to do which is coaching and teaching.”

Lyons, a Brooklyn native who was an All-New York City performer for James Madison High, started substitute teaching in New York City schools and got a job coaching basketball with the Asphalt Green program, a nonprofit sports, swim, and fitness organization in the city.

While working with Asphalt Green, she also started coaching middle school hoops at The Chapin School, an all-girls school in New York City.

Having taken on some administrative duties at Asphalt Green, Lyons went to The Brearley School, another all-girls school in NYC in 2019, where she served as the associate director of athletics.

Last month, Lyons came south to New Jersey, becoming the director of athletics at Stuart Country Day School, succeeding Justin Leith, who is now serving as the AD at the Bullis School in Maryland.

Lyons found a natural fit at the all-girls environment of Stuart.

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