Faith prevails
- Updated: April 22, 2024
After most of the schools recruiting her changed coaches, Cleburne County’s Brown signs with ‘amazing’ school that ‘felt like home.’
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
HEFLIN — Faith Brown’s recruiting roller coaster had extra loops, missed its stop and rolled on for a second whirl around the track.
When it finally stopped, Cleburne County’s all-time leading scorer got a smile and a hand up from a new coach in blue and gold.
Brown signed Monday to play basketball for Southern Union Community College and couldn’t be happier with the thrill at the end of the thrill ride.
“It was stressful,” she said, “but I just knew everything was going to be OK.”
Brown will leave Cleburne County with a few commemorative balls and plaques. She finished her career with 2,304 points, the most of any Cleburne County basketball player, boys or girls.
It’s a good thing she kept on scoring and didn’t have significant injury stoppages. She had to win over a whole new group of coaches midstream.
Cleburne County coach Todd Gable sent out video and information about her during her junior year, and the hook got bites. Gadsden State, Montevallo, Shelton State, Agnes Scott College and Southern Union showed interest.
Then everything changed.
“What was crazy is, Gadsden State got a new coach,” Gable said. “Montevallo got a new coach. Southern Union got a new coach and Agnes Scott.
“All them schools that I talked to the old coaches, so I had to pretty much resent everything back out.”
Gadsden State’s new regime offered a preferred walk-on spot. Shelton State?
“They said, ‘We like you, but we don’t have a spot with you,’” Gable said. “Montevallo kind of let off, the new coach did, where the old coach was really interested in her.”
Agnes Scott and Southern Union kept up the full-court press. For a player used to lots of box defenses, that felt good.
“I had Agnes Scott, but when I visited, I didn’t really like it,” she said. “It wasn’t my style,
“When I seen Southern Union, I was like, ‘This is home.’ It felt like home. It’s amazing.”
Brown will leave behind a trail of accomplishments at Cleburne County. She reached the 2,000-point mark in December, during the Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic.
“She’s been with me since eighth grade,” Gable said. “She’s just one of those kids, a good kid.
“First time I ever saw her, in the seventh grade, she was all arms and legs, and I said, ‘She’s going to be a pretty good ball player.”
Photo gallery by Joe Medley
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