Greg Monroe and Alabama running back Eddie Lacy go way back

Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press:

""I’m very proud of him," Monroe said. "Everything I see, I’ve been watching him do since he was 6 years old, and that’s not an exaggeration."The guy’s been that talented for as long as I’ve known him."The two grew up in the New Orleans area. Monroe lived across the street from a park, and Lacy lived behind the park. They attended the same school until Lacy relocated to the Baton Rouge area after Hurricane Katrina."

I missed this before the title game, but this is pretty cool. I had no idea Greg Monroe and Lacy shared this connection.