If you’re a DeKalb County High School Lady Tigers basketball fan, you know who Kadee Ferrell is. She is one of DeKalb’s elite on the hardwood, thrilling fans each week with her skills on the court. As a senior Ferrell’s run with the Lady Tigers will be coming to an end this season, but her basketball days are far from over. She recently signed to play basketball for Bryan College in Dayton, TN, and will be a Lady Lion next season.
Ferrell, is a force to be reckoned with on the court. Becoming a member of the 1,000-point club in her junior year, Ferrell now commands respect from other teams, drawing a lot of defensive attention during games. She hopes to continue on after signing a letter of intent with Bryan College on November 30.
Kadee was joined by friends and family during the signing ceremony, including her parent’s, Anthony and Trena Ferrell, as well as fellow players and coaches. “Out of all the schools that I’ve been to I really liked Bryan because it is a small Christian school and the players and coaches there really made me feel welcome,” Ferrell said. “I just had a connection with all the people there and felt like that was the place for me.”
When asked what she planned on studying at Bryan, Ferrell explained that she intends on becoming a physical therapist. “I will start school at Bryan College to be a physical therapist, and then I will have to go to a two-year school after I graduate from there to get my physical therapy degree,” Ferrell continued.
When asked about DeKalb and the Lady Tigers, Ferrell said one of her fondest memories happened in her freshman year, a memory she hopes to repeat. “My most special memory has to be my freshman year going to state. That was something that hadn’t been done here in a long time, and I just feel like it was a fun experience and something that we hopefully might get to do again this year,” said Ferrell.
Ferrell is among the elite in DCHS basketball history, one of only 13 Lady Tigers who have gained membership to the 1,000-point club. Kadee joined Helen Lee-1959, Betty Carol Fite-1965, Carolyn Bluhm-1969, Genrose Rowland Davis- 1971, Rosa Stokes-1983, Trena Johnson Collins-1990, Mary Ann Puckett-1993, Cynthia Woodward-2010, Martha Webb-2011, Loren Cripps-2015, Ashli Chew-2016, and Emme Colwell-2020.
When asked about her accomplishment, Ferrell said it had always been a goal for her. “It’s really exciting. It was always my goal. As I came in as a freshman, I kind of set some goals for myself and that was one I had. I wanted to reach at least 1,000 points by the time I graduated, and God blessed me and let me reach it as a junior. It’s really exciting, and just building on that is a fun experience. Reaching 2,000 points is also one of my goals. I would like to at least like to reach 1,800, but would like to reach 2,000,” Ferrell said.
Ferrell’s long-time coach, Lady Tiger Head Coach Danny Fish, has high praise for his star player.
“Kadee has been a great student athlete here at DeKalb County,” Coach Fish said. “She’s played for me for four years. She’s been a better steward for our community and student athlete embodiment here at DeKalb. She makes good grades, she’s a humble person, she’s great on the floor, and is great in the locker room. It’s going to be a big loss for us when she moves on. But we’re very happy for her.”
“She is probably pretty close to having 1,400 points right now for her,” Fish continued. “She is probably pretty close to 1,000 rebounds. That’s hard to do. I’ve seen so many other players, but she’s the greatest if you ask me. She does so many things for her team from ball handling to passing to shooting and taking it to the hole. She does it all.”
Bryan College Lady Lions Head Coach Bryon Lawhon said he looks forward to having Ferrell on his team. “First and foremost, she is a great fit for our college. She’s a great Christian young lady. She fits in the “we” over “me” mentality that we embody and is our culture, but then you look at her as a basketball player. She is long. She’s athletic. She defends. She can score. She can rebound. She’s a full package. She will fit in at spots we need. We have won our conference the last five years and have been in the national tournament six of the last seven years. She the piece we haven’t normally had and I think she will only push us further.”
“We have high expectations out of Kadee,” Lawhon continued. “She’s coming in with a great high school career, but we expect even bigger things from her in college. We are really excited about how she fits in with our program. Kadee is one of our top recruits and we have high expectations for her to come in and contribute as a freshman.”
Bryan College is a private Christian liberal arts college in Dayton, TN, and is part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC).
