Keri O’Neal named as LaFayette Rambler Great
Former LaFayette Lady Ramber basketball standout and current Murray County High School girls’ head coach Keri O’Neal was celebrated as a “Rambler Great” during the Lady Indians’ game in LaFayette. While playing for the Lady Ramblers, O’Neal (Class of 2009) was a four-year letter winner, finishing her prep career with 1,378 points and over 1,200 rebounds and earning spots on the All-Region team and on the GACA Class 3A All-State team as a senior. After signing with Snead State (Ala.) and playing there for two seasons, O’Neal transferred and became a first-team all-conference player at Martin Methodist College (Tenn.) as a senior and helping the Lady Redhawks to their first-ever conference tournament title game appearance. She finished at MMC ranking second on the program’s all-time offensive rebounding list, fourth on the program’s all-time defensive rebounding list and fifth on the program’s total rebounding list. She pursued a Master’s degree at Morehead State University in Kentucky where she also served as an assistant coach for four seasons with the Lady Eagles, including the team’s first-ever berth in the Womens’ NIT. She later became an assistant coach at Belhaven University (Miss.), helping the program double its win total in just one season and helping it earn a berth in the American Southwest Conference Tournament in its first season of eligibility. While at Belhaven, she recruited and coached seven players who earned conference honors. O’Neal, pictured with her high school head coach Matt Swanson and current LaFayette girls’ head coach Holly Rhudy, teaches special education at MCHS and is in her second season as head coach of the Lady Indians.