HANCEVILLE, Ala.- If you look up on the wall of Good Hope high school’s basketball arena, you’ll see the name Bailey Tetro. The banner immortalized her achievement of leading the 4A Lady Raiders to a 33-2 record and the first state championship in school history in 2023-24. A 17-point, six-rebound, five-assist and seven-steal performance in the title game vs. T.R. Miller won her the tournament’s MVP award to close out a storied high school career.
At the next level, she chose to stay close to home, committing to Hanceville’s Wallace State alongside her twin sister, Heather. The Lady Lions had lost in the district finals the previous two seasons, and had just hired up-and-coming head coach Joseph Simmons to get them over the hump.
Ahead of schedule, Tetro had the starting point guard spot secured as the 2024-25 season drew near. In the team’s final preseason scrimmage, just days before what would be her collegiate debut last October, she picked up a dribble and drove to the basket. It was a routine layup attempt, something she’d done hundreds of times, but her knee hyperextended as she landed. It was painful, but she walked off the court under her own power and sat the rest of the game. Soon after, an MRI told her she would miss the entirety of her freshman season with a torn achilles tendon.
She summed it up into one word, “heartbroken,” but went on to note how grateful and lucky she was to land with such a great surgeon and physical therapist after the fact. After a swift and successful surgery last November by Cullman’s David Dueland, she was right back with the team.
“I only missed two games, the first two of last season since they were away games and I was having surgery. I was able to help out, pass out water, helping any way that I could, and that really helped me, because I love basketball and it would’ve been tough to go through it without the game. I’m super grateful they let me help out and stay a part of everything,” Tetro said.
One quick conversation with her, and you’ll feel that love for basketball and every bit of the grind that comes with it. It made recovery an even taller task than it would be for some. With a grin, she detailed how difficult it was to keep her away from the game while she was recovering from surgery.
“I probably did a little more than I should have. I had to remind myself, especially when I couldn’t walk, I gotta take it easy, all the other stuff will come. I was trying to dribble on the sidelines, get up shots, even during practice. Me and my sister would come back later in the day and I’d sit in a chair and just do form shots at the goal, just trying to work on things that I could do to get better. Even at home I was using tennis balls to dribble around, working on my form without a goal, just doing anything that I could,” she said.
While she was clawing to get back, the Lady Lions were thriving on the court. Simmons’ first season at the helm saw Wallace State go 26-4 in the regular season, winning the Alabama Community College Conference for the first time in 13 years and contending for the NJCAA South District championship. They’d do just that, defeating Shelton State to advance to the NJCAA D1 Women’s Basketball Championship tournament in Wyoming last March. The Lady Lions would go on to fall to Northwest Florida State in the second round, ending a historic season.
“It was tough, I was super proud of them, but especially that last game you want to be in there helping. It sucked to see my teammates losing and there’s nothing you can do about it. I’m not sure how much help I would’ve been, but I would’ve done anything to just get to be out there in that moment,” Tetro said.
It was also on that playoff run where Tetro found words she now lives by. While on the treadmill at the team’s hotel, she watched an interview featuring the late priest Richard Wurmbrand that stuck out to her.
“He said that same thing, when you’re going through a difficult time you make that choice, you can either get bitter or get better. And I made the choice that getting better was what I wanted to do. So that’s what I tried to do, I showed up at therapy and Dr. Courtney Green pushed me, she had me lifting weights, getting stronger,” she said.
Just six months after the devastating injury, Tetro was medically cleared to participate in basketball activities in May 2025. After spending the offseason in the gym and in therapy, she said didn’t just get back to her old self, but even better.
It’s visible on the court, especially in Simmons’ hard press defensive system. With a full-leg brace on, Tetro bounces around from player to player, frustrating ball handlers with active hands and sometimes even yelling at them when shooting or passing.
“Me and my sister have always been firecrackers, all over the court trying to be everywhere, you know what I mean? Playing hard defense allows me to do that, it’s something we harp on with this team, we take a lot of pride in it. It’s something I had to buy into at first but it’s helped me become a much better player,” Tetro said on the Lady Lions’ defense.
Her presence on the perimeter has been a driving factor for Wallace State’s defense ranking first in the NJCAA in points allowed, only allowing opponents 36.9 points per game. On offense, Tetro has shown signs of greatness, with a 28-point performance including eight three-pointers against Chattanooga State earlier this month.
While her shooting is a strength, where Tetro really has a chance to shine is inside the arc. Flashy behind-the-back passes pop alongside shifty, acrobatic layups. On December 19th, she showed off some of those moves in a 13 point performance in the Lions’ 97-32 win over Pellissippi State where she only played in the first half.
On if there’s jitters doing layups now, she said “I did have some, this game is probably the most I’ve done the sort of layups I used to. You just have to trust the brace, trust your surgery. For the most part I’ve felt really good, like I said Courtney Green did a great job with my therapy and working with her has really helped me trust my movements again.”
So far this season, 12-0 and 13th-ranked Wallace State is well on its way to returning to the postseason and giving Tetro a chance to win a collegiate title alongside her sister. On her return, her head coach said “She exemplifies the kind of player we want in this program, hard work and toughness- toughness wins more times than not.”
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