MURFREESBORO – Greeneville’s Lauren Bailey and North Greene’s Jason Britton were both honored on Monday night at the Murphy Center on the Campus of MTSU for being finalists for Miss and Mr. Basketball.
For Bailey the ceremony brought an end to a stellar career for the Lady Devils in which she led Greeneville to the Class 3A State Tournament twice.
“It’s awesome to be here, and it’s a great accomplishment to know I’m one of the best 36 basketball players in the state,” Bailey said. “But it’s kind of sad that my basketball career at Greeneville is over. I’m going to miss all of the support that the Greeneville has shown to me these last four years.”
Bailey finished her time at Greeneville as a 2,000-point scorer. As a senior she averaged 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals per game. She shot 44 percent from the field, 36 percent from three-point range and 75 percent from the foul line.
“It’s fantastic to see Lauren on this stage,” Greeneville coach Annette Watts said. “I couldn’t love a player any more than I love Lauren. Her group of seniors has brought us back to the prominence of being at the state tournament, winning district titles, and winning season titles. She gives all of the glory to that group, but I’m so proud to see her standing out here with this caliber of player.”
Now that bailey’s time at Greeneville is done she will turn her attention to getting ready for the Division I game and joining the Gardner Webb Lady Bulldogs next fall.
Jackson South Side’s Ti’Mia Lawson was named Miss Basketball in Class 3A.
Britton is coming off a record-breaking year with the Huskies in which he broke North Greene’s career scoring record, the Greene County single-season scoring record, and the county single-game scoring record. For that he was recognized as one of the top three players in Class 1A by the Mr. Basketball committee.
“It feels great to be here today,” Britton said. “It’s great to see my hard work pay off, and to be recognized as a top three player in the state. I spent all offseason working on weaknesses to get here, and now I’m back at work trying to get better for next year.”
Britton finished his junior season averaging 28.5 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals per game. He had an effective field-goal percentage of 58 percent, he shot 40 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free-throw line.
“Being here is just a testament to all of the hard work he has put in,” North Greene coach Sam Tarlton said. “He had probably one of the best years of anybody in North Greene history, if not Greene County history. It’s been amazing to show up everyday and be able to coach him. I hope our younger see this, and maybe it lights a fire under them to put in the work that he does.”
While he did not take home the top hardware on Monday, Britton left the Murphy Center inspired to get better and to come back next year as the winner.
“I’m going to try to win it next year,” Britton said. “I think I’ll use being here today to motivate me in the offseason. I’ll have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. I feel like I can get better at my free throws and finishing at the rim.”
Rodgerick Robinson of Middleton was named Class 1A’s Mr. Basketball.
2023 MISS BASKETBALL WINNERS
Division II-A Miss Basketball
Angelica Velez, The Webb School
Division II-AA Miss Basketball
Jaloni Cambridge, Ensworth
Class 1A Miss Basketball
Blair Baugus, Wayne County
Class 2A Miss Basketball
Jada Harrison, Westview
Class 3A Miss Basketball
Ti’Mia Lawson, Jackson South Side
Class 4A Miss Basketball
Avery Treadwell, Bearden
2023 MR. BASKETBALL WINNERS
Division II-A Mr. Basketball
Isaiah West, Goodpasture
Division II-AA Mr. Basketball
Lukas Walls, Webb School of Knoxville
Class 1A Mr. Basketball
Rodgerick Robinson, Jr., Middleton
Class 2A Mr. Basketball
Jaylen Jones, East Nashville
Class 3A Mr. Basketball
Damarien Yates, Fayette-Ware
Class 4A Miss Basketball
Jarred Hall, Lebanon
