Bradley Central senior basketball star Halle Hughes, seated second from right, is surrounded by family for her signing a college scholarship with Lee University on Tuesday. Also seated are sister Kaleigh, mother Stephanie and father Richie. Back row are grandparents, Dale and Brenda.
photo by Larry Fleming
Although other college coaches came a calling, they faced long odds in trying to lure Bradley Central guard Halle Hughes away from Lee University.
“I was pretty much set on (Lee) from the get-go,” Hughes said Tuesday prior to her signing ceremony in the high school library. “It was set because my heart was set on Lee. I didn’t really entertain anyone else.”
College coaches kept trying though.
“The biggest thing about Halle is her ability to defend people,” Bearettes coach Jason Reuter said. “We have a few girls that can score a lot of points, but all five on the floor have to defend. That’s an advantage for Halle; she will be able to defend any guard that we play against this season.
“She usually draws the toughest assignment for me because I put her on the toughest guard the other team has. I think that will help her at Lee University. I know it will.”
While Howard also was the team leader in steals (120), Hughes was second with 57 and 46 of her 103 rebounds came on the defensive glass.
No one can argue with Hughes’ offensive skills though.
Hughes, who in three seasons has climbed to No. 16 on the Bearettes’ all-time scoring list with 1,238 career points.
The 5-foot-9 senior scored 572 points as a junior, so if she maintains that pace she could potentially have at least 1,810 points and that would put her at No. 13, just ahead of Martha Montgomery’s 1,730 and right behind Jane Brock’s 1,841. Brock has the school record with 93 points in a single game.
There is, however, no reason she might not score more than 572 points.
However, Hughes, last year’s second leading scorer (15.89 points per game behind Rhyne Howard’s 17.94), she gets as much pleasure by holding the opposing team’s top scorer to a minimum of points.
Reuter said Hughes is “at her best” when the game’s at a fast tempo. She runs the floor well and can drive to the basket or pull up and pump a 3-point shot with equal niftiness.
The Bearettes have specific goals for the coming season, which opens at home against William Blount on Thursday night.
Reuter has talked to the team about those goals and there are six:
Take a Thanksgiving tournament and a Christmas tournament.
Win the District 5-3A regular season and the postseason tournament.
Capture the Region 3-3A tournament.
And finish with a state championship, which would be the program’s first since 1976.
“I think Halle is all in,” Reuter said. “She’s as Bearette as you’ll ever get and there’s nothing she wouldn’t do to help this team win. If you’re drawing up the ideal Bearette and giving a definition of that, it’s Halle Hughes.”
With all the confidence in the world, Hughes doesn’t see why Bradley can achieve all those goals in 2016-17.
“I definitely don’t want to settle for anything less than a state championship,” she said. “As much as I’m excited about going to Lee, I’m really super-pumped about my senior year at Bradley and hopefully we can make a return to state and make it greater.
“I believe this team is as good as any team I’ve been on at Bradley, if not better. We’re blessed with a lot of new talent.”
The Hughes family name is tightly woven into the fabric of Lee University, of course, and that factor played a big part in her committing to the Lady Flames in early July and why she has now made it official.
But Lee coach Marty Rowe and Jan Spangler weren’t going to gamble that another might slip into Cleveland and steal the Bearettes standout. They went after Hughes fast and hard.
“They were the first team to offer me and they came to as many of my games as they could,” Hughes said as teammates, classmates, friends and family milled about the room before the ceremony started.
“They traveled to see some of my AAU games and have always been very supportive, constantly telling me how much they wanted me at Lee. I’m looking forward to playing there. I love the coaches, the program and the school, in general, is awesome. That was a big thing for me.”
Reuter, who attended Lee University as well, realizes more and more players, boys and girls, are eager to sign early with the idea of enjoying their senior years in high school.
He also knows the lure Lee has on the region and beyond.
“I just sent a daughter (Rebecca) off a few years ago and her choices came down to Lee and Middle Tennessee – she signed with MTSU. So, I understand what we’ve got here. What a blessing it is to have a Christian school right here in town and be able to watch her play.”
Despite Hughes’ commitment five months ago college coaches still inquired, a lot of them talking to coach Reuter.
“She’s a tremendous athlete and Division I schools were still courting her,” he said. “This is a big win for Lee. We like to keep our girls here if Lee is a good fit for them. And we like that pipeline from Bradley to Lee.”
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)