LaFayette’s Greer finishes with quadruple-double, 7 blocks

Published 10:34 pm Monday, January 14, 2019

LaFAYETTE — Last Friday marked another milestone in LaFayette sophomore Feliah Greer’s memorable season. In a 58-35 win against Ranburne, Greer finished with the stat line of 24 points, 12 rebounds, 10 steals, 10 assists and seven blocks.

Earlier this season, Greer scored 51 points and pulled down 21 rebounds in a win against Booker T. Washington.

“It’s been fantastic,” Greer, whose teammates have tagged her with the nickname “FeBron Greer,” said of her sophomore season. “I can’t say that I could make all of this happen without my team. We play as a team, and without them, I wouldn’t have accomplished any of this.”

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The stat that she said she’s most proud of on big nights is assists.

“The 10 assists for her are a challenge because the steals and blocks, you’re getting on your own,” LaFayette girls head basketball coach Michael Bratcher said. “You’re relying on someone else to get those assists. In the game before Ranburne, she was three assists away from a triple-double, and she was trying her hardest to get it. I told her ‘don’t worry about it, it will come.’”

The 5-foot-7 do-it-all star for the Bulldogs has only played three seasons of organized basketball. This year marks her second-consecutive season of playing the sport after taking a break in eighth grade. Growing up, she dabbled in track and field and volleyball among other sports. Last spring as a freshman, she won the 2A state title for shot put.

“I’ve tried to do all of the sports,” Greer said. “All of the sports that [LaFayette] has, I’ve played them.”

Bratcher has coached for 18 years and has taught for 15 years. It has been rumored that he is close to retirement. He said that he wanted to continue watching the best player that he has ever coached.

“I don’t know, maybe I’ll do it for 20 more years,” he said. “One time she asked when I was going to leave, and I said ‘when you leave, I guess,’ but I don’t know if that’ll actually happen. As long as I’m enjoying it, I’m going to stay around.”

Greer’s performance came with some flair on Friday night. She made a Ranburne player unbalanced after hitting the defender with a crafty crossover. The move came after that same defender stole the ball from Greer and Bratcher made a comment to her about it.

Currently, Alabama A&M and Alabama State have inquired the most about Greer, Bratcher said.

“I keep telling her that this game is her future,” he said. “If she continues down the line she’s going, she’s going to college for free. Free food, free tuition, free books, free everything, a stipend and somethings that she can’t dream about. The possibilities of jobs later in life, and what she’s actually going toward right now. It’s going to be something really huge for her as she matures.”

The LaFayette girls are having their best season in over a decade. The Bulldogs are currently 4-1 in area play, and are 15-3 overall. The last time LaFayette hosted a game in the area tournament was 10 years ago when the team finished the regular season with nine wins. The team has received nominations to be ranked in the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) prep polls throughout the season, but have yet to crack the top 10.

“That’s fine. I don’t care if they rank us,” Bratcher said. “The year the boys won the state championship, they were ranked No. 9 in the state once they entered the playoffs. All that matters is at the end.”

At the end of her high school career, Greer wants her stamp to remain at LaFayette forever.

“G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All-Time) status,” she said. “Like the way that people look at Boobee Whitlow, I don’t want to be a regular person. I want to have a certain reputation for my name. I want people to see someone, and not just a basketball player. My grandma told me to not let people just see me for basketball. You have more potential than that.”