A decade or so ago, two pint-size point guards faced off in a hyped peewee championship game in Douglas County.
One team was led by a dynamic little boy at the point; the other an amazing little girl. At an age when dribbling was a challenge for most, both players were known standouts among the parents in the gym that day.
The boy’s squad mounted a full-court press. Or maybe they all just ran to the little girl with the ball. Either way, it was a bad move.
“Asia crossed over, took the ball behind her back and split the trap,” proud mother, Audrey Durr, recalls. “The stands just exploded. That’s when I knew she was special.”
That special little girl blossomed into St. Pius senior superstar Asia Durr, one of the very best players to come out of Georgia since WNBA MVP Maya Moore. Durr, a 5-10 point guard, is considered the No. 1 or No. 2 recruit in the nation and has signed with Louisville.
Teams have done everything to try to stop her this season. One rival put two defenders on her the entire game, on and off the ball, in a bizarre twist on the triangle-and-two. Durr went for 40. She dropped a school-record 53 in a win over defending Class AAAA state champion Redan and became St. Pius’ all-time scoring leader this season with more than 2,500 points. She was asked to do more this season and delivered.
“Asia feels a lot of weight, because she carries us,” St. Pius coach Kyle Snipes said.
Durr’s averaging 31.8 points per game and also leads the Golden Lions in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. She’s scored nearly 60 percent of her team’s points and has hit multiple game-winners. Her coach still has a hard time describing Durr’s off-balance buzzer-beater against Marist. “She was almost horizontal,” Snipes said.
But, now, as she prepares to lead the two-time state champion Golden Lions into the state tournament, Durr must get past one of the most disappointing moments of her career.
On Friday in the Region 6-AAAA tournament championship, St. Pius trailed archrival Marist by two in the final seconds. Durr was fouled attempting a 3-pointer. She missed the first free throw long, made the second one and then missed the potential tying one. The Lions lost by one, 54-53. Durr finished with 39 points.
“I was pretty shocked,” she said. “There was no nerves, I had high confidence. I don’t know what happened. I just didn’t follow through with the shot. I was pretty shocked, pretty upset. Actually, yeah, I was devastated. It was a rough Friday night and Saturday.”
She handled it with class, though, thanking fans on social media for their support “through the good and bad.” And how many high school athletes would be willing to discuss it with the media so soon after? Asia Durr did openly.
“My team has my back,” she said. “There were a lot of people in the gym that told me to keep my head up. I definitely appreciate that and want to shout them out.”
Durr’s adoring fans are easy to spot. They’re the bundle of youngsters screaming, “Asia! Asia!” as she walks off the court. She’s often approached for photos at the mall or when out to eat. She considers the attention “a blessing.”
“I’m truly honored and thankful for the young kids to admire me as a person and a basketball player,” Durr said.
Opposing fans also clamor for Durr’s attention. Despite her glaring excellence, they still talk trash to her, chirping at her from the bleachers, “You’re not that good.” and “Overrated!”
She hears them, but chooses not to respond. The most obvious response would be to point at the scoreboard or at the two state championship banners she’s helped St. Pius win. But that’s not anywhere close to her style.
According to those who know her best, Durr is the humble superstar, capable of blending in among her classmates while standing out on the court.
“You wouldn’t know she’s one of the best athletes in the country,” St. Pius teacher Todd Stewart said.
That doesn’t mean she is the quiet, keep-to-yourself type. During a recent sit down interview at the St. Pius gym, she grinned, laughed and said, “I think I am the funniest person I could be.” Her amicable charm may disguise who she is at school, but there is no hiding on the court. This is a star with a very bright future.
“Asia is going to have a great college career and definitely will be a star in the WNBA,” said Norcross coach Angie Embree, who coached Maya Moore at Collins Hill.
From her coach’s perspective, humble is also one of the first descriptions Snipes uses when asked about his star. He’s joked during the season about how easy it had look like a good coach with Durr routinely going for 30 or more. But he’s also grateful for a coaching lesson she taught him.
“I should have done a better job of incorporating her freshman year,” Snipes said. “You’re going to try bend over backwards to let your veterans play. We actually thought of Asia as the piece that would propel us. I think I learned from this is that you just got to go with your best kid.”
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