Prospect Spotlight: Brie Crittendon (2021)

The Ryle Lady Raiders are not only the defending state champions but also go into this season as perhaps the odds-on favorite to once again be standing tall come March.  This is due to the fact that they return several of their most impactful players from last season. While senior Maddie Scherr leads the way as a favorite to win Miss Basketball, junior Brie Crittendon is also back and ready to take the next step towards establishing herself as a top player in the state. A strong two-way player with a great motor, Crittendon can impact a game in many different ways,"My game is attacking the rim aggressively and trying to make open shots for my teammates. I shoot off the dribble and spot up," Crittendon said of her playing style. "However, my defense creates my offense. I play very well on-ball defense and create lots of opportunities for my teammates to steal the ball. I rebound and hustle for every ball." The 5'9" wing averaged a solid 11.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game last season, she really showed out in the state championship game, scoring 21 points on 7-10 shooting to go along with 3 steals.  This not only showed how strong her game was by the end of the year but also her ability to step up in big moments.  Crittendon was "Last season was probably the greatest season of my career," Crittendon said, "I stepped up this past year and helped my team tremendously." Crittendon followed up this outstanding high school season with a strong AAU campaign playing for Kentucky Premier. "My AAU season was probably my best summer yet." Crittendon explained,  "I felt comfortable with my teammates and playing against the best of the best in EYBL tournaments. I did very well against teams that had two D! players. I got more comfortable creating my own shot and driving to the basket or pulling up. My defense improved so much over the summer. I get up into people rather than last year when I left space. Overall, my summer got me a lot more looks that I was looking for." Despite her success, Crittendon is by no means resting on her laurels, as she has worked to improve her positional versatility, "My weakness as a player is feeling comfortable to be the one. I’ve mostly been a two or three, but I’m occasionally placed at the one.  To help me overcome this weakness, I have been training with coaches and former men basketball players to help me improve on my ball-handling and feeling comfortable in stressful situations."  If Crittendon can become a strong ball-handler to go along with her prowess on the wing, she will be even more dangerous going into next season. Crittendon has already received interest from numerous schools including, Chattanooga, Austin Peay, Loyola of Chicago, Belmont, Yale, Bellarmine, Columbia, Samford, UAB, and Wofford.  The quality of those schools points towards Crittendon's status as a great student as well as a great player.  Even with college recruitment ongoing, Crittendon's primary focus remains on helping Ryle repeat as state champions "My individual goal for next school year is to help my teammates and help my team to go back to state." Crittendon said, "I want to work on creating my own shot more. My goal is to get everyone of my teammates involved, from the youngest to our seniors."  With this kind of attitude and improvements for one of their key players, it could be another special season for the Lady Raiders.