Elder becomes first from Bob Jones to sign with UA Huntsville
Chandler Elder signs her scholarship papers while her father Bruce Elder looks on
(RECORD PHOTO/LINDSAY VAUGHT)
MADISON- Surrounded by her sister, two brothers and parents, Chandler Elder, a two-year starter on the Bob Jones girl’s basketball team finally made official Friday morning what she knew would happen several months ago as she signed her scholarship papers to play basketball for the University of Alabama- Huntsville.
She becomes the first Bob Jones student to sign a women’s basketball scholarship with UAH and will be the first graduate to play at UA-Huntsville.
“The Elder nation is headed to UAH,” she said referring to a popular team slogan and her large network of family and friends. Actually her older sister is already a student there.
“I’m very excited about signing with UAH,” she said. “I was really glad that they offered me and am so blessed that I get to play for coaches that love the Lord,” Elder said of UA Huntsville Coach Roy Heintz.
Elder will study engineering at UA Huntsville. “I’ve been preparing to go into engineering by taking courses at Bob Jones. Academics at UAH were a big determining factor in my decision. Other schools were offering me but none could match the engineering department and majors that I can get at UAH,” Elder said.
She said that she will be the first in her family to get a degree in engineering.
One thing her family will provide is continued support in her athletic career. At UA- Huntsville they can be at the games, another big factor in UA Huntsville’s favor.
“There’s never a dull moment,” Elder said of playing for Coach Danny Petty and his assistant Andre Reynolds. “Every practice is fun and interesting. I really enjoyed playing for you last season and I can’t wait for this season to see how it turns out. I’ve really been blessed with two great coaches.”
Elder is one of five seniors on the Bob Jones team. She was on the freshman team when Bob Jones girl’s won the state championship in 2011. She was on the 2012 team that played Hoover in the 6A state championship game at the BJCC and lost.
”My teammates are like family. We’ve bonded so much, especially the seniors,” Elder said.
At 5-foot-8 Elder has played both low post and out high to utilize her shooting and ball handling. She averaged ten points per game last season but versatility is the word used by Coach Danny Petty to best describe Elder on the basketball court.
“She can play any one of three positions; point guard, shooting guard, or small forward,” he said.
At UA Huntsville, Petty said Elder will likely play “shooting guard but she can play point too. It is just according to what he needs. She is a great outside shooter.”
Elder closed by saying “I’ll be a Bob Jones Patriot all my life.”
