By Robert Wilson
Germantown’s Alana Rouser has been one of the best rebounders in Mississippi since she started on the Lady Mavs’ varsity as an eighth grader.
But the Florida Atlantic signee has improved other areas of her game this season and had her best week of her senior year last week.
The 6-foot forward averaged 16.3 points, 15 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocked shots and 1 assist and shot 53.1 percent (17 of 32) from the field and shot 83.3 percent (15 of 18) from the free throw line in three weeks last week.
For her outstanding performance, Rouser has been named the Junction Deli/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Girls Basketball Player of the Week.
Rouser had a career-high 23 points (7 of 13 shots from the field and 9 of 12 shots from the free throw line) with 15 rebounds, 3 blocked shots and 1 assist in a 56-50 MHSAA Class 7A, Region 2 win over Madison Central last Tuesday at Germantown.
She had 10 points (5 of 9 shots from the field), 12 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 blocked shots and 2 assists in a 56-42 loss to MHSAA Class 7A Tupelo Friday at Tupelo.
Rouser had 16 points (5 of 10 shots from the field and 6 of 6 shots from the free throw line), a season-high 18 rebounds, 5 steals and 1 blocked shot in a 56-49 loss to MHSAA Class 5A state champion contender Neshoba Central Saturday in the Talkin’ Hoops in the ‘Sip Classic at Northwest Jackson Middle School.
“Alana had a very productive week,” Germantown coach Jamie Glasgow said. “She has really stepped it up a notch in all areas of her game since the Christmas break. I can’t say enough good things about her attitude and leadership. Alana is a great teammate and works hard every day at practice. She deserves all the recognition she gets.
“Against Madison Central, (junior guard) Charlie (Gamberine) came out hot from the 3-point line, which opened up the inside. Alana took advantage of it. She did a great job of getting position, and we kept feeding her the ball inside. Neshoba Central couldn’t keep her off the boards. She played aggressively without fouling, which is something that she has been trying to improve.”
Rouser is averaging 11.8 points, 11.6 rebounds (6.7 defensive and 4.9 offensive), 2.1 steals, 1.4 assists and 0.8 blocked shots this season for 13-8 Germantown.
Rouser has a school record 1,408 career rebounds, one of the top rebound totals in Mississippi history, and has scored 1,426 career points, second in school history to High School All-American and two-time USA Basketball gold medalist Madison Booker, who finished with 1,862 points from 2018-2023.
She averaged 12.5 points and 11.0 rebounds and helped Germantown to a 29-2 record and the first MHSAA Class 6A championship in school history last season a junior. Rouser has been selected to the first team on the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Team and to the Preseason Elite 11 Team for the past two seasons.
Her 23 points against Madison Central was two more point than her previous career high of 21 points against Choctaw Central last season. Rouser grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds against Brandon two years ago as a sophomore.
Rouser averaged 10.2 points and 10.1 rebounds as a sophomore, 13.1 points and 10.9 rebounds as a freshman and 9.2 points and 9.8 rebounds as an eighth grader.
She had Division I offers from Southern Miss, Alcorn State, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley, Florida International and Louisiana-Monroe.
Rouser is the daughter of Mahwana Rouser-Triplett and Anthony Triplett. Mahwana was a member of the track and field and girls powerlifting team at Madison Central High. Anthony played football and baseball at Forest Hill High. He was a member of the Mississippi Class 4A-5A All-Star Team and played at Tougaloo College. Mahwana and Anthony both graduated from Tougaloo.
Alana is the oldest of six siblings: Li’Kya (11), Aiyanna (8), Audriyana (6), Avianna (4) and Austin (2).
Olympic track and field gold medalist Bianca Knight is Alana’s aunt. Knight, who graduated from Ridgeland High, was a member of the 400 meter relay team, which broke the world record in 2012 and won the gold medal. Knight was named the national female track and field Gatorade Player of the Year as senior at Ridgeland in 2008. She won the 200 meter indoor national championship as a freshman at Texas before turning pro.
Mississippi Scoreboard selects a girls basketball player from Hinds, Madison, or Rankin counties each week. Coaches can nominate a player by text or call to Robert Wilson at 601.506.2276.
Previous Players of the Week
Week One: Taelar Felton, Clinton
Week Two: Ann Magee Stradinger, Jackson Prep
Week Three: Shamira Morton, Canton
Week Four: Lauren Sutton, Madison Central
Week Five: Maia Turner, Madison St. Joseph
