NOTE: This is the third of five Q&A features on the Cherokee County Hall of Fame Class of 2020 inductees. The class was originally going to be inducted that year but was not because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest class of inductees will be formally honored at a banquet this Saturday at the Gadsden State-Cherokee Arena at 6 p.m. Today’s Hall of Fame focus features former Gaylesville and Sand Rock basketball, volleyball and softball standout Amanda Crane Duckett.

Amanda Crane split her high school career at Gaylesville (1998-2000) and Sand Rock (2001-02). She was known mostly for being a strong post player in basketball. She garnered all-county basketball selections at Gaylesville in 1999 and 2000 and an all-area selection in 2000 before transferring to Sand Rock.

Crane still holds Sand Rock’s top rebounding average (10.9 per game during the 2002-03 season). She also scored 1,524 points in just two years with the Lady Wildcats, which is the second most in school history.

During her junior basketball season at Sand Rock, Crane averaged 15.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and almost an assist per game in leading the Lady Wildcats to a 19-8 record, which included a county championship. She was selected the county’s most valuable player, all-area and honorable mention all-state.

As a senior, Crane averaged 19.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, two steals and almost an assist per contest. She led Sand Rock to a 19-11 mark, which included an area championship and a Northeast Regional berth at Jacksonville State. She was a second-team all-state selection, co-MVP of the county, and an all-area selection.

Crane was also a standout middle hitter in volleyball, where she helped lead the Lady Wildcats to their first-ever Elite 8 appearance her senior year in 2002. She also played shortstop, third base and pitched in softball.

Crane earned the state’s Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Achievement Award in 2003.

After graduating, Crane went on to play basketball at Gadsden State Community College. She was a member of the Lady Cardinals’ 2004 and 2005 National Junior College Athletic Association Region 22 and Alabama Community College Conference state championship teams.

She transferred to Shorter College and became a two-time Southern States Athletic Conference All-Academic selection as well as an All-American Scholar Athlete in NAIA women’s basketball.

Crane went on to obtain her doctorate and is now a physical therapist.

Q: You’re known as a well-rounded athlete, but which sport was your favorite to compete?

A: “Basketball was my favorite, but I also enjoyed playing volleyball and softball. Softball was actually the first sport I ever played. I started at a young age with that. I actually didn’t start playing basketball and volleyball until seventh grade. I was introduced to basketball in the sixth grade, the summer after at Jacksonville State at summer camp.”

Q: Who were some of your influences throughout your career?

A: “Coach (Lisa) Bates is first and foremost. She’s just a great coach and motivates you to be a good player. Not only does she care about you as a player, but just off the court as well, checking in on you and seeing how things are going. Coach (Lisa) Burt was also, Coach Bates’ dad Tommy, and Coach (Kevin) Browder also. They coached us in some summer ball as well. All of those influences definitely helped me throughout the years to become the player I was.

“I always shot around the yard with my dad growing up. I was kind of late into playing sports, but I really enjoyed it. Seeing that I actually could play at a good level, it kind of made me want to work hard and go after it. Coach Bates, being my coach, she was an idol of mine. She played at Jacksonville State and we used to go watch her play. That was fun to play for her and get that opportunity and see kind of where she had been in her career.”

Q: You were not only an accomplished athlete, but you also excelled academically. Could you talk about balancing that with your athletic career?

A: “I knew if I didn’t make good grades my parents would kill me. That was good motivation for that. I just knew I wanted to be a physical therapist and I knew I had to keep my grades up to do that. Thankfully I was able to get it done and also play sports at the same time.”

Q: Obviously one thing people saw when you played was your 6-foot-1 frame. Could you talk about trying to utilize that?

A: “I was a big girl, probably big for Cherokee County. I got a lot of fouls sometimes because of that, but you just have to be big and be intimidating to others and just use that to your advantage.”

Q: Are there any high school games that stand out to you?

A: “Our senior year of course we won the area tournament, but one of my favorite weeks was probably when we played Sylvania in an area game earlier in the week. Before the game even started, one of our players had her hair taped back. She to this day is a good Christian lady, never would lie, just a great person all around. She had tape in her hair. The referee told her before the game ‘If I see a bobby pin under that I’m going to give you a technical.’ We get to almost halftime and from lengthwise across the court, the referee calls a technical. He said he saw a bobby pin. Of course she’s crying and upset, not because she got a technical but because he thinks she’s lying.

“It was a one-point ball game I think, and it was right before halftime. There wasn’t even 10 seconds left. They ended up hitting both free throws and put them up by a point. We get to the end of the game and lose by one. Lady Bates comes in and she’s like ‘Practice tomorrow,’ so you know it’s going to be terrible. She hates to lose and still hates to lose.

“The next game was Geraldine and it was later in the week. It was a terrible week of practice, but when Lady Bates and Coach Burt came to the locker room, they both had tape in their hair, just to kind of further motivate us from then on. We played Geraldine great and we won, and from there we won the area tournament and got to go to Jacksonville. That was awesome.

“Of course we went to the Elite 8 (in volleyball). That was the first time we’d ever done that. That was also Lady Bates’ first year of coaching volleyball. We also had Johnny Howell as a coach and he knew the game. He played and was a great player. He really helped develop our team. We got to go to Birmingham and play and that was fun as well.”

Q: Are there any teams or teammates who are special to you?

A: “The first year I got to play was my junior year here at Sand Rock. We had Stephanie Lee as a senior. She was real aggressive, a great player all around. Of course my senior year we had Taylor Burt. She was an eighth grader who played like an upperclassman. We had three other senior girls and they were special to me. We were just a close-knit group: Christina Jacoway and Mindy Ritchie and Jennifer Thomas. We had several juniors and sophomores. We just all had a good relationship. We all wanted to win so we worked really hard to accomplish that.”

Q: How excited were you when you received the call that you were going into the Cherokee County Sports Hall of Fame?

A: “It’s such an honor. I thank God for just putting the people in my life to make it possible and blessing me with talent to play, everything he gave me.

“My parents, I’m super appreciative of them as far as carting me around everywhere throughout the years of playing. My mom told me when I got older, she was like ‘You do realize every holiday we spent was at a gym or a softball field?’ Of course to me it was fun. I didn’t look at it that way. I’m appreciative to them and my family and friends who supported me, not only in high school, but throughout my college career. It was just a great experience and opportunity to represent Cherokee County.”