A four-year Bearette starter at point guard, Formont will be making the short drive across the Tennessee River to Dayton to play for Bryan College.
“I’m upset about losing the opportunity to play in the state tournament, but now it’s time for a new beginning and I feel like Bryan is a good place for me to do that,” Formont stated. On visiting Bryan, she said, “I really liked the coaches, they were very encouraging, and I liked the environment on the campus.”
“I also liked the small campus atmosphere, plus I already know some people who go there,” she added. “It’s not too far away, but yet far enough.”
Formont will be reunited with former Bearette Abigail Pippenger on the Lady Lion squad, plus there are a number of players from the Southeast Tennessee area who she competed against over the past few years.
“I’ve watched her grow and mature as a player. She is getting the fruits of her labor with this (scholarship),” commented Bearette head coach Jason Reuter. “She plays hard all the time and gives it everything she’s got. I’ve never seen her quit on a play.
“She was our starting point guard without any reservations,” he added. “She improved her skills each year. This past season she averaged less than 1 1/2 turnovers a game.”
“She’s a quality person that any dad would be proud to call his daughter,” remarked Reuter. “She took on a leadership role with this team and helped us accomplish great things the last two years.”
During Formont’s junior and senior seasons, the Bearettes were ranked in the Top 10 in the state by The Associated Press and posted a 59-8 record while winning the District 5-AAA and Region 3-AAA championships both seasons before falling just one game shy of the TSSAA state tournament.
“We recognize that Bradley has a great program, so to be able to get a player from here is something we’re happy to do,” commented coach Jason Smith, who just completed his first season with the Bryan program.
“We were 14-16 last season and we are losing six players, so we need to reload,” the Lady Lion coach explained. “Keila will have an opportunity to come in and contribute right away as we really need help at the point guard position.”
“Each time we saw her, we liked her even more,” coach Smith related. “She does a good job of getting her teammates involved in the offense and she is a strong defender. Beyond basketball, she has an infectious personality and academically she’s the type of person we want at Bryan.”
Handing out more than 200 assists in the past two seasons, Formont, who averaged around four points a game, has also copped 105 steals and pulled down more than 120 rebounds.
“Her job for us was to distribute the ball,” Reuter expressed. “She did a good job of running our offense and getting the ball into the hands of our scorers.”
“She has good size (5-foot-9) to play point guard at that (college) level and I’ve never met anybody with a more determined mindset,” he added. “She will be successful in whatever she does in life.”
Formont becomes the third Bearette senior to sign a college scholarship as teammates Kayla Beavers and Caroline Smith both inked with Lee University before the season began.
“We’re expecting to have maybe a couple more to sign before it’s through,” related Reuter.
