Lauren (Aldridge) Britton was honored by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at the University Plaza Convention Center in Springfield for the Winter Hall of Fame Luncheon.
Britton was awarded with the Filbert Five Award. The award is named for the late Gary Filbert, a former coach and inductee of the MSHOF. The award honors five men and women each year who made significant contributions to the sport of basketball at either the high school, collegiate, or professional level.
The storied career of Britton began right here in Marshfield.
“I come from a big sports family,” said Britton. “My mother is from Marshfield. My dad put a ball in my hand and it took off from there.”
Britton’s mother was formally Jennifer Wilkerson, Marshfield alum and former cross-country and track athlete for the Missouri State University Bears. Her father, Steve Aldridge, hails from Jefferson City. Steve played baseball at MSU, where he met Jennifer.
Britton’s siblings also participated in Bluejay athletics. Her sister, Quinn, is the starting point guard as a sophomore for the Lady Jays. Her other sister, Emily, played volleyball at the College of the Ozarks. Her older brother, Tyler, was a golf stand-out in high school at Marshfield.
After finding passion for hoops at a young age, Britton shot straight to the varsity squad as a freshman under head coach Shelley Jones.
During her time as a Bluejay, she lettered all four years, led the Jays to four straight Central Ozark Conference championships, won the Class 4 District 10 District Championship, and took third in state for Class 4 her senior year.
“That whole state run in 2014 was so memorable with Coach Jones,” added Britton.
Britton still holds records for single-game assists, career three-pointers, and most three-pointers in a single game. She was also named the COC Player of the Year three years in a row, four-time all-conference selection, four-time all-state selection, and a finalist for Miss Show-Me Basketball during her senior year.
After graduating in 2014, Britton took her talents to the University of Kansas to continue her career as a Jayhawk under Bonnie Hendrickson. After one year, Brandon Snider took over as head coach.
“Once Kansas reached out, it became clear that was where I needed to go,” explained Britton. “Being a Jayhawk was really the pinnacle of my whole career as an athlete, especially my freshman year. It was so much fun, and I really came into my own as a point guard. Hendrickson was amazing with bringing out the best of me.”
As a freshman, Britton made the All-Big 12 Freshman Team. She started every game and averaged the most minutes on the roster with 35. She also averaged 8.1 points, 5 assists, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.8 three-pointers a game in the 2014-2015 season.
The next year, she led the team in points with 11.1 a game. She also scored her career high against Oklahoma with 20 points in the 2015-16 season. She made the First-Team Academic All-Big 12 team.
After two years at Kansas, Britton left the Jayhawks for their rival, the University of Missouri Tigers.
“Going to MU was a big flip for me,” said Britton. “We were really good, at one point ranked ninth in the country. We went to the NCAA tournament every year I was there. I got the opportunity to play with Sophie Cunningham, who now plays for the Pheonix Mercury, Sierra Porter, the brother of Michael Porter Jr. of the Denver Nuggets, and so many others that I couldn’t believe I was good enough to play with.”
After sitting out for a year, Britton started all 32 games for the Tigers in the 2017-2018 season. She averaged 6.7 points, 3.5 assists, and 32 minutes a game. She set a new school record for assist to turnover ratio at 2.2, led the team in total assists with 113 on the season, shot a career best three-point field goal percentage with 39.5%, and set her personal career high in assists with nine in a game against Wright State.
The next season, Britton played all 35 games, averaged 6.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists a game. She reached 1,000 career points in February of 2019 in a game against Auburn. The Tigers went on to defeat Drake in the first round of the NCAA Tournament where Britton picked up 12 points and hit 4 three-pointers.
From 2017-2019, Britton was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll for her hard work in the class room.
“Mizzou was so memorable with just how good we were and how big of a stage we were on,” explained Britton. “The interest in Lady Tigers basketball was high, and we hosted one game with over 11,000 fans in attendance.”
Britton last season as an athlete ended in 2019. The Lady Tigers finished with a record of 24-11 and made a second-round exit in the NCAA Playoffs after losing to Iowa 52-68. Iowa was ranked ninth in the country at the time.
Today, Britton is a prosecutor in Webster County, a wife, and a mother.
“Law school was never on my radar, but when I transferred to MU, I was close to graduation and still had two years of athletic eligibility,” added Britton. “I needed a degree path to help keep me in basketball, and looking back it was the best decision I ever made. If I had to do it again, I’d choose law school every time. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Britton married her husband, Devin, in 2021. They share a daughter, Drew, who recently turned one. Her husband was a star tennis player from the University of Mississippi who also played professionally. After graduating from law school, Lauren went to Ole Miss to work in the athletic department. Devin was a coach for the tennis team.
“We met, started dating, and now we have a little one,” laughed Lauren. “Life happens fast.”
Britton received the Filbert Five award on stage on Wednesday, Dec. 13. She attributes much of her success in life to being involved in athletics.
“Sports have taught me about resiliency and grit,” said Britton. “I’m just five-foot-seven, and not super athletic, but I’ve played on some the biggest stages in college basketball. I’ve used the lessons I’ve learned from basketball in everything, from being a prosecutor to raising my daughter.”
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