By Scott Nickerson
Elmore/Autauga News
The Prattville Lady Lions basketball team has been to the Final 4 twice in the history of the program.
Once, when Erica DuBois was a player.
Again, when Erica DuBois was the coach.
In 1998, DuBois was the point guard for the Prattville team that advanced to the school’s first ever Final 4. She was named All Metro as a Junior. The following year, as a senior, DuBois racked up a series of accolades. She was named All County Player of the Year, All Metro, and was selected to the North-South All Star game.
After graduating from Prattville in 1999, DuBois went to Shelton State Community College, where she started at point guard and led the team to the AJCCC Division II Conference Championship and the 2000 National Junior College Athletic Association Final 4. She also competed for the University of Alabama Track and Field team from 2002-2004. Competing as a college athlete taught DuBois a new type of work ethic.
“I learned another level of hard work. College workouts and high school workouts were different. My high school workouts were hard and prepared me for college, but a different level means just that…a different level.”
DuBois knew she wanted to pursue a career in coaching after college.
“I enjoy sowing into our next generation and the challenge of getting a team to accomplish goals together. Each student athlete has different gifts and challenges about them and to help guide them to achieve personal goals and have breakthroughs is gratifying. Ultimately, it’s a rewarding feeling when you can get a group of individuals to become a team and succeed together through all the trials and tribulations a season throws at them.”
She began her coaching career at East Memorial Christian Academy from 2017-2019 and led the team to the AISA Elite 8 in 2018, before returning to her alma mater in 2019.
“It wasn’t so much what I loved that drew me back,” DuBois said, “it was more of what I saw that was needed. It was hard coming home and seeing our girls program in the state that it was in, knowing where it came from when I played. We were a very strong and respected program and I wanted to help get that back for our community and for the young ladies coming up in the program.”
In addition to basketball, DuBois was also named the Track and Field Coach, where in her first two years, she led 13 athletes to the state championships. In her second year as basketball coach, the Lady Lions advanced to the Class 7A Sweet 16, the deepest they had advanced in the playoffs in more than a decade.
But it was her third year as basketball coach that DuBois’ team won the Area Championship, the Regional Championship, and advanced to the Final 4 for the first time in more than 25 years, when DuBois was on the team. As a result of the deep playoff run, DuBois was named All Metro Coach of the Year. “It really didn’t set in that I led the girls to the Final Four and the only other time in school history was when I was the starting point guard until at least a month later. I feel blessed knowing that the team will have that special memory from high school and only a few other athletes in Prattville girls history have that.”
DuBois will move on from Prattville next season, but she left a mark in her three years leading the program, and it is a mark that has left another generation of Prattville girls the unforgettable memory of making the Final 4.
