Greyhounds Sign Forrest City State Champion

After capturing his second state title in the last three years, Montee Randle decided to stay close to home, signing with ASU Mid-South in a ceremony Tuesday at Forrest City High School in Forrest City, Arkansas.

The ultra athletic 6'3", 170-pound guard helped lead the Class 5A Mustangs to a state title in an incredible 91-85 overtime victory at Bank of the Ozarks Arena in Hot Springs as he finished with 26 points on 8 of 14 shooting while leading the team in rebounds (9), assists (6) and steals (5). This is Randle's second state title after Forrest City captured it's first-ever basketball state championship his sophomore season.

The Mustangs, under head coach Dwight Lofton, finished the season with a 26-3 record after rolling to an undefeated 14-0 record in conference play. They also ranked #2 in the state overall and in the top 150 teams in the nation according to MaxPreps.com.

For the season, Randle averaged 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals per game and earned 5A-East All-Conference, 5A All-State, and 5A All-State Tournament honors as both a junior and senior. He was also named one of the top five players in his classification by the Arkansas Basketball Coaches Association.

In addition, Randle was selected to play in two All-Star events, winning the dunk contest in both. In the Northeast Arkansas AAU All-Star game played at Rivercrest High School, he scored 40 points and pulled down 16 rebounds, and at the Delta Senior Showcase held at Mustang Arena in Forrest City, he finished with 22 points.

Basketball also runs in the family as his aunt, Caronica Randle, was inducted into the University of Central Arkansas Hall of Fame in 2015 after concluding her playing career as the school's No. 3 career scorer (2,089 points), all-time leader in free throws made and attempted, and averaging 17.2 points and 6.1 rebounds for her career while making 33.6 percent from behind the 3-point stripe. She currently serves as an assistant women's basketball coach at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.

This is the Greyhounds' second player in the last three years from Forrest City as 6'7" forward Trent Steen just completed his eligibility at ASU Mid-South and signed on April 13 to continue his career at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

"We are extremely excited to welcome Montee to the Greyhound family," said Greyhound head coach Chris Parker. "He is an athletic guard with a high motor and comes from one of the most successful programs in Arkansas. He's a great kid who goes hard at everything he does, and we feel like he will make an immediate impact in our program," Parker said.

"Montee is one of those young men who took off and progressed late," added Coach Lofton. "In two years, there's no doubt this young man will be going to a four-year institution. He will be another shining spot for Forrest City, and we are so proud and looking forward to his next stage."

Montee Randle lifts the trophy after helping Forrest City to the 5A State Championship in March.