NORTH ALABAMA MINING LOCAL TALENT

From Commercial Appeal 


The University of North Alabama has dipped into the Memphis area to land verbal commitments from three prep standouts.

Briarcrest basketball players Brynn and Elise Holden — a pair of all-metro performers in 2013-14 — said they’ll sign with the Lions after also considering CBU.

“We definitely wanted to go to college together,” said Elise, the elder of the twins by ten minutes. “We loved the coaches and the girls on the team were very welcoming. And they have a really good nursing program; I’m definitely going into nursing and Brynn’s thinking about it.”

With two-time Miss Basketball Jasmine Cincore now at Nebraska, the Holdens will be the veteran leaders for a Briarcrest team which has gone 56-3 over the past two seasons.

The Holdens will be joined on campus next fall by Collierville left-handed pitcher Alex Johnson, who chose the Lions over Morehead State, Ouachita Baptist, Arkansas Tech and Southwest Tennessee.

“Kevin Hall, who played at Collierville a couple of years ago, opened my eyes to a lot of things about the program,” he said.

“Their coaching staff doesn’t let anyone slack off; when they step onto the field they’re all about business and that’s the way I am.”

Johnson, a 5-7, 170-pounder, appeared in 14 games for the Dragons in the spring, starting two. He went 3-1 with a 1.58 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 17.2 innings.