By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

ST. JAMES – One of the state’s most accomplished athletes has made her decision on where she will play at the next level.

And it came on a day she won’t soon forget, for more than one reason.

St. James’ basketball standout Brandi Jeffery officially signed on to attend and play at Nebraska beginning next school year. The signing came on her birthday last month.

“It’s a day I’ll remember for a real long time,” said Jeffery.

Jeffery averaged 22.3 points per game as a junior and 21.9 points per game as a sophomore. Both seasons she was selected as first team All-State, and both seasons saw her lead her Wildcats to the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs.

This season, the Wildcats are 7-4 (as of Friday morning) and Jeffery is averaging 24 points per game, which would be a career-high.

“I’m just very excited for her,” said St. James coach Justin Adams. “It’s a huge opportunity for someone in the community to go on to a big program like Nebraska, to represent St. James Parish. With Brandi, it just shows that hard work pays off.”

Adams said that Jeffery’s versatility extends on and off the court. She’s an accomplished shooter, scorer and defender who also makes the grades off the court.

“She’s very good in the classroom,” said Adams. “She’s played basketball at St. James since the seventh grade and kids here look up to her. She takes it seriously. Brandi brings out the best in others around her.”

Jeffery, who plans to study sports medicine, noted just how important the academic side of things was to her as she made her decision on where to attend college.

“What I liked the most (about Nebraska) is that they didn’t just talk about basketball,” said Jeffery. “They talked about education. A lot of other schools talked about nothing but the basketball aspect.”

Jeffery was courted by numerous schools, including Ole Miss, Arkansas, Tulane, and Vanderbilt. But after she visited Nebraska, it took only a week to settle on her choice.

“I just felt at home. I loved it,” she said. “It was beautiful. I got along with the girls (future teammates) and the campus was beautiful.”