February 23, 2012

Messer named to class of 2012 SEC Greats

Tennessee Tech women’s basketball coach Sytia Messer has been named to the Southeastern Conference Greats class of 2012 and will be recognized at the SEC women’s basketball tournament in Nashville next week

Messer to be honored at SEC Tournament in Nashville

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tennessee Tech women's basketball coach Sytia Messer has been named to the Southeastern Conference Greats class of 2012 and will be recognized at the SEC women's basketball tournament in Nashville next week.

"I feel very fortunate to have played at the University of Arkansas," Messer said. "U of A has been such a competitive team from a national standpoint. I am truly grateful to be chosen as the SEC Great for the University of Arkansas this year. During my years there, I played every game as if it was my last.

"I have great memories and relationships with my former teammates and the entire University. My years at U of A also helped to prepare me to be a head coach. The experiences that I had as a player are what I hope to instill into my players at Tennessee Tech."

The class of 2012 features one former student-athlete from each of the 12 SEC institutions. This class marks the 12th year of the Greats program.

Each honoree will be honored during half-time of their team's first game of the tournament. All 12 individuals will also be honored as a group between games of the second session on Friday, March 2 at the SEC Tournament in Nashville. The Greats will then participate in an autograph session on the concourse before game eight. Complimentary posters of the Greats will be available at the session.

Messer, now in her third season at the helm of the women's basketball program at Tech, has accomplished so much in such a short amount of time including the team's first Ohio Valley Conference championship since 2006. During her team's championship run, Messer was named the 2011 OVC Coach of the Year as guiding her squad to a 23-9 season that culminated in a trip to the WNIT.

Messer's desire for success can be traced back to her decorated playing career at Arkansas where she played four seasons for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Messer led the team to a 22-11 record and an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1998 where she was named the Most Valuable Player for the West Regional. Messer and the Razorbacks followed up with a WNIT Championship in 1999.

Over the course of her four seasons at Arkansas, Messer tallied 1,379 points to rank seventh on the all-time scorers list. Messer's prowess was not limited to scoring however, as she ranked 10th in career rebounding with 603, sixth in free throws made with 329 and fourth in career 3-pointers with 112.

The 2012 class includes:

Kelly Kretschman, Alabama (Softball)
Sytia Messer, Arkansas (Basketball)
Laticia Morris, Auburn (Basketball)
Cassie Macias, Florida (Basketball)
Camille Lowe, Georgia (Basketball)
Valerie McGovern Young, Kentucky (Track)
Yvette Girouard, LSU (Softball)
Yolanda Moore, Ole Miss (Basketball)
Iyhia McMichael, Mississippi State (Softball)
Jocelyn Penn, South Carolina (Basketball)
Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee (Basketball)
Carolyn Peck, Vanderbilt (Basketball).

For additional information about the SEC Greats click here

For additional information about Messer's playing career at Arkansas click here