Bryan College Signs Nashville Star

(Left-to-Right: Hunters Lane HS coach JoAnn Tribue; Diamond Holbert; Bryan College coach Jamy Bechler)

NASHVILLE, TN (4/25/08) — In front of an enthusiastic crowd in the Hunters Lane High School auditorium, Diamond Holbert signed a Letter of Intent to continue her basketball career at Bryan College today.

Holbert, a 5’6” combo guard, was Hunters Lane’s MVP while averaging 12 points per game. She played for Coach JoAnn Tribue, a 2007 Nashville Metro Hall of Fame Inductee.

“Having Diamond in our program next year is a positive addition,” said Coach Jamy Bechler. “She is an explosive scorer off the dribble. She gives us versatility by her ability to play the point or the scoring guard positions. We also like her ability to defend and believe that her quickness will help us, especially in the AAC.”

Holbert said that she decided on Bryan College “because of its’ Christian atmosphere, the student-to-teacher ratio, Coach Bechler, and the players. After visiting Bryan and comparing it to the other schools, I felt it was the place for me.” She chose the Lady Lions after receiving much interest from DI programs Jackson State, Alabama A&M, Tennessee State and Belmont.

Before a knee injury sidelined her for her junior year, Holbert attended perennial power, Brentwood Academy, from 6th-10th grade.

The Bryan Lady Lions have earned a trip to the NAIA National Tournament four out of previous five seasons. During that time, they have won three Appalachian Athletic Conference Championships.

Holbert is the first Nashville area recruit for the Bryan College program in nearly 15 years.

“Nashville is a great area for basketball, said Bechler. “We have normally recruited local in the past. However, when a player of Diamond’s caliber comes along, we need to do what we can to bring her into our program. The men’s program has done well with Nashville recruits in recent years. We hope to sign a few more girls from Nashville in the near future.”
The Bryan College men’s basketball team had a total of five Nashville players on their team this past season.

Holbert is the daughter of Dyrena and Cleveland Anthony and plans on studying Exercise Health Science and Education at Bryan College.