ROWLAND — Over her 11 years as the girls basketball coach at South Robeson High School, Lula Ratley has seen a lot on the court.
But on Wednesday inside the school’s gymnasium, the Lady Mustangs coach experienced a first as Chania Troy made the commitment to continue her academic and athletic career at Fayetteville Technical Community College this fall.
“This is the first signing I’ve ever been involved in,” Ratley said, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s very exciting. It’s good for the school spirit and the young ladies are very excited. Chania is very excited.
“Just this moment, it’s awesome. It’s never happened for me. Thank God for this moment.”
Surrounded by her teammates, coaches and family members, Troy was also all smiles as she saw her dream come to fruition.
“I have a lot of people who were pushing me to where I’m at now,” said Troy, an all-conference and all-county performer for the Lady Mustangs. “And if it wasn’t for my teammates or my coach (Lula Ratley), I wouldn’t be here today.”
During her time at South Robeson, Troy became known as one of the top rebounders and defensive players in the county.
The 5-foot-10 forward looks to bring that same ability to the Lady Trojans, who are in their second season as a program under head coach Eric Tucker, who previously coached at Fayetteville State for 17 years.
The Lady Trojans finished with a 9-15 record in their debut season.
“I like her athleticism,” Tucker said of Troy. “This year we’ve had some time to recruit and get the type of athletes that fit my philosophy. I like the uptempo game. She’s a defensive juggernaut and she plays much larger than she is.”
Tucker has also put an emphasis on “beating the bushes” in the Cape Fear region in search of local talent.
“I’m very excited about it. I’m thankful for having the local support in the community and the region. We don’t have to go out of state to get good athletes,” he said. “We need the Fayetteville Tech name to get out there. Hopefully, I’ve got (a player in Troy) that can help us a lot.”
Ratley said Troy leaves big shoes to fill at South Robeson, but is confident her now-former player will fill a void at Fayetteville Tech.
“She has the defense and the ability to run the court,” Ratley said. “She can get down the floor and she rebounds well. She’ll take a lot to the program. Her senior year she took the leadership role and she’s grown since her freshman year.”
For Troy, the journey couldn’t have ended any better than it did Wednesday.
“I did what I needed to do to get here. I signed and I had everyone here with me to see it.”
