Shanley's Geffre on her way to another 1,000 milestone

Try as she might, Brittany Geffre can't hide behind her numbers.

A player that has scored more than 1,000 points and grabbed 596 rebounds in a girls basketball career that still has more than a year and half remaining is hard to ignore.

"She doesn't want to draw too much attention to herself even though she does," said Giuli Varriano, a teammate of the Fargo Shanley standout.

"Because she is so humble, I think she goes unnoticed and I think she likes that," Shanley coach Barb Metcalf added.

Geffre quietly led the Eastern Dakota Conference in scoring her freshman and sophomore seasons.

The 5-foot-8 junior forward is in position to do the same again this season, averaging 25 points and nine rebounds and five steals per game through seven contests.

"I don't know if we've ever had someone lead our league in scoring for four years and she could do that," said Fargo South coach Craig Flaagan, who is in his 12th season. "She's so quick and she attacks the basket so well. I wish I had her on my team."

Barry Anderson was afforded that privilege. He coached Geffre in her freshman and sophomore seasons.

Anderson said Geffre blossomed midway through her first varsity campaign. At that point, Anderson knew he was dealing with a "special" player.

"After her freshman year it was a matter of when she was going to score 1,000 points," Anderson said. "I use the word relentless. I think she just never gives up and has great instincts for the basketball. Her points come in just a variety of ways."

For the record, Geffre drained a free throw against Mandan on Dec. 30 for point No. 1,000.

"I was kind of informed," Geffre recalled. "The crowd started cheering so I kind of knew then."

After the game, Metcalf presented Geffre with a basketball and a card that read: "We look forward to another 1,000."

Former Deacons standout Angie Welle, who scored more than 2,000 career points, planned to be at Shanley Friday to honor Geffre before the Deacons played Grand Forks Red River.

However, Welle couldn't make it because of a coaching commitment. She is an assistant for the Wayzata (Minn.) High School girls basketball team.

"I'm pretty excited," Geffre said of already reaching 1,000 points. "I never expected to do it my junior year when I started. It's fun."

Geffre's penchant for rebounding may be even more remarkable than her scoring knack. She is not your classic

6-foot post player.

However, what she lacks in height, she makes up in quickness, strength and positioning.

Through 51 varsity games, Geffre is averaging 11.7 rebounds per contest. At that current pace, Geffre in on track to grab the 404 rebounds needed to reach 1,000 in 35 games.

"She's kind of built a mini-legend in just a couple of years," Anderson said.

"I think she anticipates well and has a knack for knowing where the ball is going to come off the rim," Flaagan said. "That's a gift that Brittany has. She is always around the ball."

That's what makes Geffre hard to ignore.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Eric Peterson at (701) 241-5513