Jasmine Grice Leads NCAA DI: Chasing FAMU Greats

Star point guard joining some illustrious company in the Lady Rattler
history book in her final season in the Orange and Green in the steals category

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  –-  Florida A&M University point guard Jasmine Grice is making a run at the Lady Rattler Basketball history book with three regular season games left in her final season.

The former All-State guard from nearby Quincy, Florida’s East Gadsden High School, who was voted Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason Co-Player of the Year prior to the start of this season, is currently leading NCAA Division One in steals with101 in 27 games (3.7 average).

That puts her 9th on the FAMU Single Season Steals list, just one steal ahead of her 10th place standing of 100 steals in 30 games in 2013.

Grice’s nation-leading pace puts her on track to become the third Lady Rattler to lead the nation in steals.

Should she run the table in the steals chase, she would join NCAA Career Steals leader Natalie “Pocketbook” White (1992, 1994, 1995) and Shelly Boston (1990, 1991), who combined to lead the nation in steals five times in a scintillating six-year span.

Grice stands fifth (5th) in FAMU career steals with 255 in 99 games, trailing Hall of Famer and fellow Gadsden County native Cathy Robinson’s 294 steals from 1992 to 1996.

NOTE: Grice also ranks 7th nationally in scoring, averaging 24.6 points per game.

Previous Lady Rattlers of Larceny
Boston, a Seattle, Washington native, played three seasons between 1988 and 1991, recording 416 career steals, before passing the torch to White, a Fort Valley, Georgia native, who made an immediate splash setting an NCAA freshman record with 143 steals in 1992.

That 1992 season saw the Georgia Peach set the single game Division One steals record with 14 at South Alabama in Mobile, a mark which remains in the NCAA history book.

White finished her career with 624 steals, still the NCAA Career high, one of six single game, single season and career NCAA, MEAC and FAMU records she still holds.

White and Boston were proceeded in the steals competition by April Manning (1984-88), who finished third on the FAMU career steals list with 351, and was the first Lady Rattler to make a run at an individual NCAA title, finishing one (1) steal shy (132), behind Alabama State’s Neacole Hall (133) in 1988.


FAMU Career Steals
Name (Years) No.
1. Natalie White (1991-95) 624
2. Shelly Boston (1988-91) 416
3. April Manning (1984-88) 351
4. Cathy Robinson (1992-96) 294
5. Jasmine Grice (2010-14) 255
6. Donyale Ferguson (1988-91) 252
7. Glenda Lee (1996-00) 224
    Crystal Worlds (1997-00) 224
9. Tene Miller (2001, 2003-05) 209
10. Linda Thomas 204
     Antonia Bennett 204
12. Valerie Robinson 193
13. Monika Williams (1991-95) 189
14. Gail Myrick (1983-87) 185
15. Deidra Jones (2006-10) 182
16. Demetria McMillian (1989-93) 181

Single Season Steals
Name (Years) No.
1. Natalie White (1995)* 191
2. Natalie White (1994)* 172
3. Shelly Boston (1990)* 160
4. Natalie White (1992)* 143
5. Shelly Boston (1991)* 142
6. April Manning (1988) 132
7. Natalie White (1993) 118
8. Shelly Boston (1989) 104
9. Jasmine Grice (2014)* 101
10. Jasmine Grice (2013) 100
11. Donyale Ferguson (1991) 97
12. Cathy Robinson (1995) 91
[*] NCAA leader in steals.

 

COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION