An Emphasis in the Classroom
May 03, 2023 | Women's Basketball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Kansas State junior forward Heavenly Greer, the former Oklahoma Sooner who transferred to Manhattan following her true freshman season, has a frameable distinguished college honor that she can place proudly in her bedroom — a symbol of her dedication and perseverance by which she can refer whenever times might appear tough in any aspect of life.
On April 26, Greer learned that she earned Academic All-Big 12 Second Team honors, a personal proverbial mountaintop following a stiff climb through the rigors of being a student-athlete at a major college. Greer, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, is on pace to graduate in May 2024 in Human Development and Family Science, becoming the first college graduate in her family.
"What I've learned most about myself is if I stick to something, then I can really do it," Greer says. "Before, I really didn't put all my effort into things, and I really didn't think I could do it. This year, I've learned that if I put all my effort into it, I can make it happen."
Greer redshirted her sophomore season due to NCAA transfer rules in 2021-22 after transferring from Oklahoma. She played in 30 games for the Wildcats this past campaign, scoring a total of 65 points, grabbing 61 rebounds and blocking 16 shots while playing a total of 224 minutes. Just as she grew comfortable on the hardwood, she, too, also gained increased confidence in the classroom.
"There's a time for school and a time for basketball, and sometimes it's hard to balance," she says, "but here at K-State, they made it easier for me to handle school and basketball at the same time. I didn't know how to balance both as a freshman."
It began with organization and a structured academic program catered toward Greer's needs that began when she arrived at K-State. It allowed Greer to better understand her strengths and challenges as she sought to progress in the classroom.
"When I first started working with Heavenly from the standpoint of organization, she was all over the place and wanted to start here and there," says Liane Fowler, Associate Director/Director of Specialized Learning & Tutorial Program. "It was starting over with the basics. We gave her a to-do sheet with everything she needed to accomplish each day. It taught her how to stop, step back and break it down to the basics whenever things seemed to be overwhelming.
"Once she did that, everything seemed to start clicking. Her grades went up because she was studying as she went along instead of cramming before a test. She had a taste of what winning was like and it was hard to stop her. It started with teaching her to step back and refocus on the basics."
Learning has never been more fun for Greer, who aspires to one day serve as a counselor for youth and teenagers, perhaps high school students who play sports and require structure and positive reinforcement.
Child Development remains Greer's favorite course at K-State. Recently, she sat down and observed preschoolers. The Human Development curriculum centers around understanding people. This spring semester, she has also taken a class to counsel individuals.
When the basketball season is in session, Greer maintains a structured routine. She awakens each day at 7:30 a.m., drives to the performance table, goes to workouts and practice, and heads to campus between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. for study hall. Then she hits the gym and eats dinner.
It's a long way from days growing up in Phoenix.
"I was the type to go outside (after school)," Greer says. "I wouldn't speak about homework unless my mom asked me about it. Now, I get all my homework finished. I make sure I have all my coursework completed by Thursday so I have my weekends free."
Greer first picked up a basketball at age 6. The youngest of four, she was the only girl, and she enjoyed battling her big brothers on the basketball court. In the fifth grade, she received her first scholarship offer from LSU. Later, she led Ganesha (Calif.) to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division 5A championship and the CIF State Championship's second round. She finished her high school career with 1,403 points, 820 rebounds and 312 blocks. She averaged 26 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and seven blocks during her senior season and was a McDonald's All-America game nominee. She was rated the 59th-best player nationally by Prospects Nation.
She signed with Oklahoma but encountered obstacles as a freshman. She averaged 2.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.2 blocks while playing in 10 games. This came as she trudged through classwork during the COVID pandemic.
"It was overwhelming," she says. "When I went to Oklahoma there were no in-person classes and no face-to-face study halls. It was overwhelming because I had to do everything on my own. During the time I was at OU, I expressed to some teammates that I was struggling, but I don't know, everyone was going through their own thing during the pandemic. Everyone had their own stuff they were dealing with."
Now Greer is dealing with academic success. And this might just be a start to a promising rest of her career as a student-athlete.
"For her, everything is great," Fowler says. "She doesn't like to toot her own horn — 'This is great and what a great turnaround.' She doesn't sing her own praises. I have to do that a lot for her. She knows what she's accomplished."
The good news arrived on April 26.
"I asked Heavenly if she had called her mom when she found out about this award and she said, 'I will.' I said, 'I want you to call her right now because I want her to be as excited as I am,'" Fowler says. "She had this little slight grin, so you knew that meant a lot to her.
"She isn't just a basketball player, but she's also a good student."
Kansas State junior forward Heavenly Greer, the former Oklahoma Sooner who transferred to Manhattan following her true freshman season, has a frameable distinguished college honor that she can place proudly in her bedroom — a symbol of her dedication and perseverance by which she can refer whenever times might appear tough in any aspect of life.
On April 26, Greer learned that she earned Academic All-Big 12 Second Team honors, a personal proverbial mountaintop following a stiff climb through the rigors of being a student-athlete at a major college. Greer, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, is on pace to graduate in May 2024 in Human Development and Family Science, becoming the first college graduate in her family.
"What I've learned most about myself is if I stick to something, then I can really do it," Greer says. "Before, I really didn't put all my effort into things, and I really didn't think I could do it. This year, I've learned that if I put all my effort into it, I can make it happen."
Greer redshirted her sophomore season due to NCAA transfer rules in 2021-22 after transferring from Oklahoma. She played in 30 games for the Wildcats this past campaign, scoring a total of 65 points, grabbing 61 rebounds and blocking 16 shots while playing a total of 224 minutes. Just as she grew comfortable on the hardwood, she, too, also gained increased confidence in the classroom.
"There's a time for school and a time for basketball, and sometimes it's hard to balance," she says, "but here at K-State, they made it easier for me to handle school and basketball at the same time. I didn't know how to balance both as a freshman."
It began with organization and a structured academic program catered toward Greer's needs that began when she arrived at K-State. It allowed Greer to better understand her strengths and challenges as she sought to progress in the classroom.
"When I first started working with Heavenly from the standpoint of organization, she was all over the place and wanted to start here and there," says Liane Fowler, Associate Director/Director of Specialized Learning & Tutorial Program. "It was starting over with the basics. We gave her a to-do sheet with everything she needed to accomplish each day. It taught her how to stop, step back and break it down to the basics whenever things seemed to be overwhelming.
"Once she did that, everything seemed to start clicking. Her grades went up because she was studying as she went along instead of cramming before a test. She had a taste of what winning was like and it was hard to stop her. It started with teaching her to step back and refocus on the basics."
Learning has never been more fun for Greer, who aspires to one day serve as a counselor for youth and teenagers, perhaps high school students who play sports and require structure and positive reinforcement.
Child Development remains Greer's favorite course at K-State. Recently, she sat down and observed preschoolers. The Human Development curriculum centers around understanding people. This spring semester, she has also taken a class to counsel individuals.
When the basketball season is in session, Greer maintains a structured routine. She awakens each day at 7:30 a.m., drives to the performance table, goes to workouts and practice, and heads to campus between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. for study hall. Then she hits the gym and eats dinner.
It's a long way from days growing up in Phoenix.
"I was the type to go outside (after school)," Greer says. "I wouldn't speak about homework unless my mom asked me about it. Now, I get all my homework finished. I make sure I have all my coursework completed by Thursday so I have my weekends free."
Greer first picked up a basketball at age 6. The youngest of four, she was the only girl, and she enjoyed battling her big brothers on the basketball court. In the fifth grade, she received her first scholarship offer from LSU. Later, she led Ganesha (Calif.) to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Division 5A championship and the CIF State Championship's second round. She finished her high school career with 1,403 points, 820 rebounds and 312 blocks. She averaged 26 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and seven blocks during her senior season and was a McDonald's All-America game nominee. She was rated the 59th-best player nationally by Prospects Nation.
She signed with Oklahoma but encountered obstacles as a freshman. She averaged 2.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.2 blocks while playing in 10 games. This came as she trudged through classwork during the COVID pandemic.
"It was overwhelming," she says. "When I went to Oklahoma there were no in-person classes and no face-to-face study halls. It was overwhelming because I had to do everything on my own. During the time I was at OU, I expressed to some teammates that I was struggling, but I don't know, everyone was going through their own thing during the pandemic. Everyone had their own stuff they were dealing with."
Now Greer is dealing with academic success. And this might just be a start to a promising rest of her career as a student-athlete.
"For her, everything is great," Fowler says. "She doesn't like to toot her own horn — 'This is great and what a great turnaround.' She doesn't sing her own praises. I have to do that a lot for her. She knows what she's accomplished."
The good news arrived on April 26.
"I asked Heavenly if she had called her mom when she found out about this award and she said, 'I will.' I said, 'I want you to call her right now because I want her to be as excited as I am,'" Fowler says. "She had this little slight grin, so you knew that meant a lot to her.
"She isn't just a basketball player, but she's also a good student."
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's BasketballK-State Baseball | Game Highlights vs TCU
Saturday, April 04
K-State Volleyball | March Madness Tournament
Friday, April 03
K-State Football | 2026-2027 Student Athletic Passes ON SALE NOW 🔥
Friday, April 03
K-State Tennis | Timing is everything 🎤
Friday, April 03
