Over the past two seasons, the Southwest Women's Basketball Team has found immense success finishing runners up in both MACCC play and in the Region 23 Tournament in 2024 and making it to the quarterfinals of the region tournament this past season.
And a large part of that was due to the play of sophomore post player Bethany Graves. Now the Pascagoula-native will get the opportunity to carry on with her academics and athletics at a four-year school after signing with Southeastern Louisiana.
"I'm just excited, I'm excited to take on a new journey but I am sad to leave the people here, but I know that it is going to be for the better," Graves said.
She admits that she chose to sign with the Lady Lions over an offer from Arkansas – Monticello because of the proximity to her hometown.
"It wasn't that big (of a factor) because I am not the type of person that misses home but with the fact that it is closer to home, it is easier for people to come and support and I have a lot of support."
Graves said that when she went on a visit, one factor that stood out was the amount of attention that the put on academics.
"Something that was appealing was that they care care about my academics as much as they care about my basketball," she said. "They care about me graduating and the they really care (a lot) about the academics and that is what helped me choose them."
Graves finished the 2024-25 season averaging 12.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. She believes she will transition well as a post presence under new Southeastern Women's Basketball Coach Jeff Dow who is getting ready for his first season with the Lady Lions.
Looking back on her time at Southwest, it is a period that Graves is very thankful for.
"I've built great friendships here at Southwest," she said. "We are more than just teammates, we are a family. I know that sounds cliché but we are really a family. We had some ups and downs but we never strained away from each other and we got closer."
Southwest head coach Brent Harris expressed his excitement for Graves not only getting the chance to play on the next level but also doing so at a program where he believes she will fit in nicely.
"I'm very happy for Bethany, it is close to home and it is a good program, they are the defending regular season champions and they need a post presence," he said. "She is an extremely unselfish player and teammate, she takes charges and it is a lost art form that a lot of people don't focus on anymore. She has moves in the post and a soft jumper from the perimeter. I believe she will help them."
