If you’re looking for a pure shooter, look no further than Brittney Crews.
The former Jefferson High School basketball standout hasn’t seen a three-point shot yet that she didn’t like.
“Yes, sir,” said Crews, who played her senior season at JHS in 2007-2008 after transferring from North Hall. “That’s what I love to do. That’s what I’m good at.”
The former Lady Dragon three-point specialist, who played two years at Brenau University, hopes her long-range shooting services can be used at the top collegiate level. Crews, who left a full scholarship at Brenau, has transferred to UGA and will tryout for the Lady Dogs when classes start in the fall semester, hoping to earn a roster spot on one of the Southeastern Conference’s powerhouses in women’s basketball.
Though playing basketball for UGA has long been a lifelong goal, a chance meeting with the Lady Dogs’ legendary coach Andy Landers — and an opportunity to show off her shooting ability — helped bring that dream back to the forefront.
Crews ran across Landers last summer while helping out at an area hoops clinic, which drew coaches from several big-name Division I schools.
While demonstrating an out-of-bounds play, Landers asked for a shooter. Crews, who had just completed her first season at Brenau, volunteered instantly.
“In front of all his coaches, he says, ‘Are you a shooter?’ and I say, ‘Yes, sir,’” Crews recalled. “And he says, ‘Are you sure about that?’”
Following some good-natured ribbing from the hall of fame coach, Crews in-bounded the ball, popped out to an open spot in the corner and launched a three – just like Landers drew it up.
“Thank the Lord, I went out there and nailed it,” Crews said.
She hopes to get the chance to do that again soon – as a Lady Dog.
Saying that she took “a safe route” out of high school, Crews accepteda full basketball scholarship to Brenau where she played for the last two years. She averaged 2.4 points a game during that span but shot 52 percent from beyond the arc this past year.
Her dream of playing for UGA never went away, though.
That drive was reinforced after crossing paths with Landers in the summer of 2009 and then in December 2009 when Crews broke her finger in the middle of her sophomore season at Brenau.
After some soul-searching, she decided to move on.
With the help of her old JHS coach Jason Gibson — who knows some of the Lady Bulldog coaches — she was able to get connected with UGA. Crews sent a DVD of her Brenau highlights to the Lady Bulldog coaches, who liked what they saw.
Crews, who has at least two years of collegiate eligibility remaining, said the chance to tryout is God-sent.
“He’s the one who’s opened up all these doors and stuff for me, and honestly, two years ago I would have never thought I would have been able to play at UGA,” Crews said.
At 5’9,” Crews played forward in high school but is a natural shooting guard. In fact, Gibson called Crews one of the best outside shooters he’s ever coached.
“She’s deadly out there,” he said.
Crews’ summer regimen includes at least 500 shots a day, half of which are those three-pointers she loves to shoot. Crews — who practices daily with former Lady Dragon and current Georgia Southern guard Mimi DuBose — also works extensively on ball handling skills and conditioning as she gets ready for her big August tryout day.
She has never been one to shy away from hard work, Gibson said.
“I’ve always known Brittney as a dedicated kid,” said the coach, who praised Crews as a great team leader on and off the court. “Back even when she played for us, she always wanted to be in the gym.”
While this long-range shooter hopes to be in a Lady Bulldog uniform when next season starts, Crews is prepared for life with or without a basketball in her hands.
She is a biology major and is excited about being a UGA student.
“I’ve always wanted to go to UGA in general,” Crews said. “A lot of my family has graduated from there … If it doesn’t work out, I’ll stay there and keep studying biology and go down that road, but hopefully, it will work out.”
For now, Crews is just excited that’s she’s just being given a chance. Many people have dreams. She’s getting to tryout for hers.
“Ever since I was little, I was going to be a Lady Bulldog in my mind,” Crews said. “It’s unreal how the Lord has opened up opportunities for me to get to do my dream. So I’m really excited.”
