When basketball fans of the Ozarks think of the area’s best basketball players of the past 20 years, Terianne (Wolford) Brown is certainly in the conversation. She starred at Nixa High School in the late 1990s through March 2000 as the center, leading the girls team to a state championship.
Now her career will soon be recognized by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame during its upcoming Basketball Tipoff Luncheon presented by Mercy. Brown has been named to the Hall’s Filbert Five, a group of former high school, college and professional basketball players. The Filbert Five is named in honor of the late Gary Filbert, who coached high school and college basketball teams and, in 2011, was bestowed the Hall’s highest honor, the Missouri Sports Legend award.
The ceremony is at 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 10 at the University Plaza Convention Center in Springfield. For tickets, call 417-889-3100.
“I have always appreciated all the support from the Nixa community. I also had such great teammates and know that, without them, I wouldn’t have the success that I achieved,” Brown said. “I also am very honored to be receiving this award and wish my grandpa could be here to see it. He followed my career during my life and was always very supportive. He was actually the first person to ever ‘retire’ my (practice) jersey in his shop. He always said that he was just waiting for the day that I would be given an award like this. He passed away from ALS last year, but I know he would be beyond proud of this achievement.”
Brown holds Nixa’s career scoring record (2,267 points) and single-season scoring record (663). She was named Miss Show-Me Basketball in 2000, scoring 22 points a game and leading Nixa to the 2000 Class 4 state championship and 31-1 record. Brown was a three-time, first team All-Central Ozark Conference selection and was named the AAU Missouri Player of the Year as a sophomore.
Additionally, Brown, who was a four-year letter-winner in basketball and volleyball, also was named a USA Today honorable mention All-American during her high school career. She played collegiately at Missouri, where she was a letterwinner from 2000 to 2002 and an academic All-Big 12 Conference in 2003.
“I also wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for my AAU coach, Mike McCall,” Brown said. “He worked with me from the age of 9 until after my college career. I look back at all the time and effort he put into making me the best player I could be and realize how lucky I am to have had a person like this in my life. And, of course, I wouldn’t have any of this without my parents’ unconditional love and support. They spent many days, nights and weekends shuttling me around to games, tournaments, camps, etc. In my old age, I realize how vital that was to my success and how lucky I am to have parents like I do.”
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Want to go?
What: Basketball Tipoff Luncheon presented by Mercy
When: 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 10
Where: University Plaza Convention Center, Springfield
Inductees: Parkview High School’s “Jolly Green Giants” of 1964-1966; Missouri State’s 1952 and 1953 NAIA national championship men’s basketball teams; Jefferson City and Lady Bears standout Karen Rapier; and high school and college coach Gary Stanfield.
Filbert Five men’s team: Chris Harville (Rogersville/Missouri State), Steven Hill (Branson/Arkansas), Sam Singh (Ozark/Bradley), Mark Sparks (Neosho/Mizzou/Drury) and Kevin Williams (Nevada/Mizzou).
Filbert Five women’s team: Sara Bos Barnhart (Billings/Drury),Terianne Wolford Brown (Nixa/Mizzou), Laura Granzow Buetow (Kickapoo/Denver/Canisius), Alyson Young Hooten (Rogersville/Avila) and Anita Rank Oplotnik (Lincoln/Missouri Southern).
Tickets: Individual tickets are $40. Tables of eight are $400 and include associate sponsor recognition in the printed program. Call the Hall of Fame at 317-889-3100.