Feaster is honored by SC Athletic Hall and now is focused on seeing daughter Strong play at UConn
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Each March, Allison Feaster hears from those remembering perhaps her biggest, buzz-worthy athletic moment — when she led 16th-seeded Harvard to an upset of No. 1 Stanford at the 1998 NCAA Tournament, still the only time it has happened in the women's event.
Feaster, who was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame on Monday night, can't wait to see the milestones her daughter, UConn freshman Sarah Strong, could reach as the No. 1 incoming prospect, according to ESPN.com.
“It has been nice to watch how the game has developed, captured the people's attention and the opportunities Sarah may be able to take advantage of during her career,” Feaster told The Associated Press by phone.
Feaster finished her career at Chester High in 1994 as South Carolina's all-time leading scorer, male or female, with 3,427 points. She couldn't attend the Hall of Fame ceremony because Sarah graduated from Grace Christian School in Sanford, North Carolina, at the same time.
“I wish I could've been there,” she said of the induction. “It's just how things are.”
Feaster, 48, was an unstoppable 5-foot-11 forward at Chester who made the team as a starter in seventh grade and became a Parade All-American by her senior year.
Feaster's mark was surpassed nine years later by eventual North Carolina great and WNBA player Ivory Latta from McConnells, South Carolina, and York Comprehensive High, who is the current record holder at 4,319 points. Like Feaster, Latta was enshrined as part of the 10-person Hall of Fame class on Monday.
Feaster, a high school valedictorian, was pursued by high-profile basketball schools but chose a more academic path at Harvard. That did not stop her excelling on the court, where she was a three-time Ivy League player of the year and led the nation with 28.5 points a game as a senior.
In the historic takedown of Stanford, Feaster had 35 points and 13 rebounds in the 71-67 upset.
“We thought this was just another winning moment in a successful run we had,” Feaster recalled. “I think as time has gone on, and no one else has done it, the impact has grown."
Feaster was picked fifth overall by the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and played with three teams over 11 seasons.
After her playing career ended, she stayed connected to the game, going through the NBA’s Basketball Operations Associates Program and taking a management position in the NBA G League.
She has been part of the Boston Celtics since 2019 and currently serves as the vice president of team operations and organizational growth. Feaster also is on the steering committee for Boston Celtics United, the team's social justice initiative to address social and racial inequities.
A big a mission of hers the past few years was aiding Sarah as she navigated the new realities of college recruiting, including name, image and likeness opportunities and the intense chase to get someone who could be the game's next rising star.
Strong signed with the Huskies earlier this month. Feaster said her daughter arrives on campus next week before going to Colorado Springs, Colorado, as part of the United States' women's national team competing in the FIBA U18 AmeriCup next month in Colombia.
Feaster's job with the Celtics has her about 90 minutes away from UConn, a short trip, she says, to watch her daughter's college career unfold. “It's going to be fun,” she said.
Feaster is happy Strong has the chance — as long as she keeps her focus and work habits — to join a list of young, talented, star-quality players like Southern Cal's JuJu Watkins, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo and South Carolina's MiLaysia Fulwiley who can advance the game in coming seasons.
And Feaster knows people will pay attention, something that was not always the case 25 years ago.
“There were many talented players when I played,” she said. “The difference was it was not always noticed. Glad to see that's changing."
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
