Holly Barrett

Head Girls Basketball Coach at Carlsbad Prep (formerly; Ava Fever)Assistant Basketball Coach at Westbrook (formerly; Season 1)

### Nickname

Coach Barrett
Coach
Coach Holly
Ms. Barrett

## Relationships

### Family

Unnamed Parents
Mark (ex-husband)
Felix (godson)

### Friends

Felix's mother (best friend)
Felix (friend/godson)
Sherilyn Thomas (boss/friend/Taco Tuesday Buddy)Marvyn Korn
Olive Cooper (former player/former student/friend)
Samantha Finkman (former player/friend)
Louise Gruzinsky (former player/friend)
Carolyn Smith (former player/friend)
Destiny Winters (former player/friend)

### Romance(s)

Marvyn Korn (kissed)
 Mark (ex-husband)
 Unnamed High School Ex-Boyfriend

## Portrayal

### Portrayer

Jessalyn Gilsig

**Holly Barrett** is one of the main characters in the Disney+ Original Series *Big Shot*. She is the young Global Studies Teacher Felix's godmother. In Season 1, she was the Assistant Coach for the Westbrook School Basketball Team. In Ava Fever, she was the Head Girls Basketball Coach at Carlsbad Prep. She is currently the Head Basketball Coach for Belford and a Human Biology Teacher at Westbrook School for Girls. She is portrayed by Jessalyn Gilsig.

## Background

### Personality

Holly is the school’s good-humored and down-to-earth assistant basketball coach. She is caring, kind, friendly, helpful, loyal and supportive.

## Biography

### Early life

Holly went to High School at Carlsbad Prep where her parents had to work a lot to pay for her tuition. In High School Holly's High School Boyfriend broke up with her on a field trip to the Zoo. Holly used to played Basketball in High School and had Coach McCarthy as her Basketball Coach. Then during her junior year of High School Coach McCarthy recruited other players from other schools and cut Holly off the team. Holly was married at one point before she cheated on her husband because she had an affair with someone else. At some point in her life she got a job at Westbrook School for Girls as the new Assistant Coach for the Westbrook School Basketball Team and as a Human Biology Teacher and has been working there ever since. When the last Coach got fired, Holly really wanted the job that she thought she deserve but, the position was given to Marvyn Korn instead because Larry Gruzinsky got him the job.

### **Season One**

#### Pilot

On Marvyn Korn's first day as the new Head Basketball Coach at Westbrook, Holly Barrett enters his office and introduces herself as his Assistant Coach. She admits to being a fan of his NCAA coaching work and he asks her for advice coaching girls. Holly’s first response is that she wants to say treat the girls like you would boys, but she adds that the girls he’ll be coaching are future leaders who can be overly anxious and a bit much. Her last bit of advice: “Don’t pretend, they’ll see right through it.”

#### Everything to Me

Holly was late to a game because she got into a car accident.

## Relationships

### Family

**Felix (godson)**

Holly is best friends with Felix's mother and was chosen to be Felix's godmother. Holly has known Felix since he was a baby.

### Friends

**Marvyn Korn (co-worker/friend)**

See Also: Holly and Marvyn

**Sherilyn Thomas (boss/friend/Taco Tuesday Buddy)**

Holly and Sherilyn have known each other for quite some time now. In This is Our House, Sherilyn refers to Holly as her “Taco Tuesday Buddy” and she asks Holly if she has feelings for Marvyn Korn which Holly denies. In Everything to Me, Sherilyn visits Holly in the Hospital after her car accident. In Beth MacBeth, Holly was hanging out with Sherilyn in her office having their own Margarita Monday because the restaurant was closed.

**Olive Cooper**

**Samantha Finkman**

**Louise Gruzinsky**

**Carolyn Smith**

**Destiny Winters**

### Other Relationships

Kelsey (student)

Harper Schapira (student)

## Appearances

### Season 1

* *Pilot*
* The Marvyn Korn Effect
* TCKS
* Great in the Living Room
* This is Our House
* Carlsbad Crazies
* Kalm Korn
* Everything to Me
* Beth MacBeth
* Marvyn's Playbook

### Season 2

* Ava Fever
* BOYS!
* Tipoff
* 17 Candles
* Field Day
* It's Going To Be Okay
* Playing House
* Prom!
* Playing House
* Moving On

## Quotes

### Season 1

Pilot

"Sure. These girls are gonna lead the world someday. Some of them are a little anxious to get started. They can be a bit much. My advice would be not to take them on if you can avoid it. And don't pretend. They will see right through it. Other than that... let's go coach some basketball."

"Okay, like I said before, these girls are future CEOs. Some of them are smarter than you. Some of them are even more powerful than you, given their direct connection to capital."

## Trivia

* Originally Holly was supposed to be a lot younger than she appears and played by a younger actress. In October of 2019 Shiri Appleby was originally cast as Holly. In January of 2020 Holly was re-casted and Jessalyn Gilsig replaced Shiri Appleby because the writers wanted Holly to be more contemporary to Marvyn Korn.
* She cheated on her husband by having an affair with someone else.
* She is huge fan of Coach Korn when he coached for College Men's Basketball.
* She is a Human Biology Teacher.
* She played Basketball in High School even though she wasn't the greatest player she still loved the game.
* It was revealed in Carlsbad Crazies that her High School Basketball Coach was Coach McCarthy which means she most likely went to Carlsbad Prep.
* During her junior year of High School Coach McCarthy cut her from the team by recruiting other players from other schools.
* She is currently single.
* Both Marvyn Korn and Coach McCarthy think Holly would be a great Head Coach some day.
	+ In Beth MacBeth, when Marvyn Korn tells her about his job offer that he is thinking about taking at UCSB he tells Holly that she is his first and only choice to take his place as Head Coach at Westbrook School for Girls.
	+ Coach McCarthy calls up Holly telling her that she is retiring at the end of the school year and that Holly is her first choice to take her place as Head Coach.
* She has had panic attacks since she was a teenager.

## References

1. ↑ This is Our House
2. ↑ BOYS!
3. ↑ Ava Fever
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Carlsbad Crazies
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Pilot
6. ↑ [1]
7. ↑ Carlsbad Crazies
8. ↑ Kalm Korn