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Hounds' Gillespie picked to play in East-West game
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Published: June 19, 2009
Keyrra Gillespie hasn't played her final high school basketball game after all.
The recent Statesville graduate was chosen to play in the 35th annual N.C. Coaches Association East-West All-Star girls basketball game July 20.
The contest pits the state's 10 best seniors from the West against the 10 best from the East. Tip-off at Greensboro Coliseum is 6:30 p.m.
The teams were released to the media this week, but Gillespie said she's known about her selection for about a month.
"It feels good," said Gillespie, who was voted first team All-State for the second straight year this season. "It came from a lot of hard work."
The Clemson-bound point guard averaged 13.8 points, 9.9 assists, 7.6 rebounds and 5.5 steals per game as a senior.
Gillespie broke two state assist records in the process of leading Statesville to 26 wins in 30 games and a berth in the 3A West Regional semifinals for the second time in as many seasons.
A four-time R&L County Girls Basketball Player of the Year, Gillespie set new state standards in her final campaign for both assists in a single season (298) and assists in a career (953). She is the only player in North Carolina history to record more than 900 career assists.
Ken Beaty, who will coach the West team, had to sift through 40 nominations and come up with the 10 players he felt were the best. He didn't think twice about picking Gillespie.
"She handles the ball well, and she's the state assist leader," Beaty said. "What better point guard could you ask for?"
Beaty, who coached Gastonia Forestview to a 3A state runner-up finish this year, has actually seen firsthand what Gillespie is capable of.
Statesville faced Forestview in the 2008 regional semifinals. Gillespie, then a junior, spearheaded a valiant comeback before the Greyhounds eventually lost 73-65. Statesville trimmed a 65-50 deficit with just under 5 minutes remaining all the way to 67-65 at the 2:30 mark.
Gillespie scored eight of her team-high 24 points during that 15-2 run.
"The thing I remember the most about that is, I thought she was too unselfish," Beaty said. "We had a big lead, and then when she started trying to score more then assist, they actually came back on us. That's what stands out in my mind."
Now that duo gets to work together in hopes of guiding the West to another victory in the East-West game.
The West won last year's competition 75-73, but the East leads the all-time series 19-15.
An always determined Gillespie expects to put a dent in the West's series deficit.
"Oh yeah, we're going to win," she said.
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