East senior signs with Grizzly Cubs

Britney Ballard was a participant in Columbus East girls basketball’s summer camp when Danny Brown first noticed her.

The veteran Olympians coach saw a strong work ethic in Ballard, and that carried over to her four years at East. It’s also likely to carry over to the next four years, which Ballard will spend at Franklin College.

“She’s well deserving of this,” Brown said. “I’ve had a lot of players who have worked hard over the years, but I don’t know if anybody has worked as hard as Britney. She never takes a play off, never takes a drill off or a game off. From the time she stepped in the door four years ago, she’s always given 100 percent.”

Ballard decided on the Grizzly Cubs midway through her senior season. She made her decision official on Wednesday in a signing ceremony at East.

“I think it’s going to be great because I’ve been working hard for four years to this point,” Ballard said. “It’s just really exciting to see it all come together.”

Ballard also looked at Anderson and Manchester, which like Franklin, are in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. But she opted to stay close to home and play for the Grizzly Cubs.

The academic and athletic fit helped sway Ballard to Franklin.

“I want to go for psychology, and that program really fit me,” Ballard said. “The coaching staff and the players themselves are great people, and I always have fun whenever I go there. It felt like home to me, and that was the big factor in deciding to go there.”

This season, Ballard averaged 10.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists and led the Olympians with 3.5 assists a game in helping East to a sectional title and earning All-Hoosier Hills Conference honors. She had more assists than turnovers all four years, becoming the first player in Brown’s 20 years of coaching to do that more than once.

Ballard will join Dana Haggenjos’ Grizzly Cubs program that went 7-17 this season, including 6-12 in the HCAC.

“I think it’s a good choice for her,” Brown said. “She’ll get a lot of playing time up there, I hope.”