Remembrance of Coach Sheremy Dillard

Coach Sheremy Dillard was a truly special woman to Carrboro High School.

Coach Dillard was a Physical Education teacher and basketball coach here at Carrboro. She was here from the beginning, when the school first opened, and over the years she taught PE to countless students and coached many athletes.

But Coach Dillard was so much more than a teacher and coach. She was a Motivator, Mentor, and Mom to so many students at Carrboro High School.

Coach D had an old-school mentality. She believed in discipline, accountability, hard work, and doing things the right way. But what made her special was her ability to merge those old-school values with the new school. She understood how to bridge that gap and reach her players where they were. Her mentality, her passion, and the way she treated people motivated everyone around her to become better.

Coach Dillard was also a mentor to so many adults in the Carrboro building. When she took the time to sit down and talk with you, you knew you were going to receive something meaningful. Her advice and wisdom were rooted in years of experience, faith, and a genuine desire to see people succeed. She had a way of speaking truth while still making you feel encouraged and supported.

One of the adults who knew Coach Dillard especially well was her Physical Education coworker, assistant coach, and friend, Coach John Alcox. Their relationship was built through years of working together, coaching together, and serving students together. That friendship was another reflection of the impact Coach Dillard had on the people around her. This is what Coach Alcox
had to say about Coach Dillard.

Coach Sheremy Dillard was a passionate educator and coach. She was an even better human being. Sheremy had an incredibly large heart for serving young people. She wanted every student and player to have exactly what they needed to be successful in life, whatever that looked like for each individual.

I saw the firm, but patient and compassionate way she worked with her students and players. Sheremy was masterful in the way she used basketball to teach her players life skills. Her players respected her, and she had the respect of her colleagues. Her contributions will have a lasting impact on the Carrboro community for years to come.

Coach Dillard's impact went far beyond the basketball court or the PE classroom. She invested in people. She believed in people. She challenged people. And most importantly, she loved people.

That impact can be heard most clearly in the words of her former players whose lives she touched.

Current Meredith basketball player Avery Lackland shared:
Coach Dillard was someone who meant so much to me. She was more than just
my basketball coach. She believed in me, pushed me when I needed it, and always
wanted to see me do better. She is one of the biggest reasons I want to become a
teacher because she showed me how much of an impact a teacher and coach can
have on someone’s life.

Current Freshman Basketball player at Pfeiffer College Yazmin Paisant described Coach Dillard as someone who believed in her even when she struggled to believe in herself. She spoke about the encouragement, lessons, conversations, and love Coach Dillard gave her throughout her time as a player.

Yazmin's words capture something important about Coach Dillard: she didn't just coach athletes. She helped young people understand who they were and who they could become.

Former student-athlete Madison Taylor shared another side of Coach Dillard. She remembered Coach as someone who might appear intimidating from the outside, but who was deeply caring and compassionate once you got to know her.

Madison recalled a time when Coach Dillard called her after she missed practice. Madison expected to hear about the consequences of missing practice, but instead, Coach Dillard was calling simply to check on her.

That was Coach Dillard. She noticed people. She paid attention. She cared.

Madison described how Coach supported her both on and off the court, celebrated even her smallest accomplishments, and became a mentor during some of her most difficult moments in life.

Her words remind us that Coach Dillard's greatest gift wasn't simply teaching basketball. It was recognizing when a young person needed someone in their corner.

Current Meredith College Track athlete, Fin Sparks remembered how Coach Dillard supported her beyond basketball:
Coach Dillard was someone I could go to outside of basketball. Someone who
supported and encouraged me through academics and other activities. In the
morning she would go out of her way to open the workout room or gym to put up
some baskets before school started. She will never be forgotten and always loved
in this community and my heart, except when she would make us run 17s. I love
you, Coach!

That last part would probably make Coach D smile.

Because for all of the love and encouragement she gave her players, Coach D still believed in hard work. She wasn't afraid to push you. She wasn't afraid to hold you accountable.

Current Freshman Brown University basketball player Summer Lee described Coach Dillard as an amazing and loving person who always worked hard to give back to the Carrboro community. She created opportunities for players and students to succeed in life while looking out for them. She cared deeply for her players, and that care was reflected in her passionate coaching.

These are just a few testimonies from former student-athletes, but together they tell a much bigger story.

They show Coach Dillard's influence as an educator. They show the depth of her mentorship. They show how deeply she cared about students as people. And they show the everyday, personal connection she had with the young people she served.

Her legacy isn't simply found in basketball wins and losses, it’s found in the teachers she motivated and inspired, the athletes who still carry her lessons she taught with them through basketball, in the young people who learned to believe in themselves because Coach Dillard believed in them first.

For so many of us, Coach D will always be a part of what makes Carrboro High School special.

Her lessons, her wisdom, her faith, her toughness, her compassion, and her love for students and colleagues will continue to live on through the people she touched.

Thank you, Coach D, for being a Motivator, a Mentor, a Coach, a Teacher, and a Mom to so many. Thank you for believing in people. Thank you for challenging people. Thank you for loving people. And thank you for leaving Carrboro High School better than you found it.

Your legacy will forever be a part of Carrboro High School.

All photos from Carrboro High School unless otherwise indicated.