#34 - Kalifa Ducker, Westbury, N.Y.
I started playing basketball when I
was in the second grade. Little did I know what a big impact the game would
have on me. When I started playing, I was so bad at ball that nobody passed to
me. I was this awkward, lanky, tall girl who never played a sport before in her
life. I showed up at my first practice in jeans because neither my mom nor I
knew anything about basketball. I wanted to quit, but my mom wouldn’t let me.
It’s a good thing she didn’t because I am who I am today because of the game.
Before
my last season of AAU basketball, everybody said I couldn’t go D1. “Your
skill set isn’t high enough.” I heard that every day as I trained to take what
nobody wanted to give to me. I practiced an hour a day, every day. I went to
workouts and put up shots by myself. I learned in those weeks that you can love
the game, but it won’t always love you back. I traveled with AAU, and I went to
showcases by myself. I wanted a scholarship so bad. All I wanted to do was make
sure my mom didn’t need to worry about my college tuition. When The Mount
offered me, I had a good feeling that this was my school.
When
I visited The Mount I fell in love with it at first sight. The campus was
beautiful, and the coaches were nice. I also really liked my future teammates and
the environment I’d eventually become an adult in. The real world can be scary,
and I felt like The Mount would eventually help me in becoming the young lady I
want myself to be. I also loved the liberal arts portion of The Mount’s
curriculum. I aspire to be a doctor one day and I know that The Mount can only
put my closer to my dreams.
#13 - Stacey Koutris, Sandy Spring, Md.
On my recruiting visit at The Mount, I felt very at home. On most recruiting visits the coaches bring you into a small office to talk to you, but at the Mount they brought me to an open, comfortable, lounge area. I felt very at home and contented. All my coaches are amazing and kept in contact with me throughout the whole recruiting process. Being comfortable to talk to a coach about anything is really important to me, so that is definitely a main reason why I chose the Mount. What I liked most on my recruiting visit is how open and honest everyone was about everything.
I grew up playing basketball my whole life. My brother is two years older than me and I grew up watching him play. He was a big influence in my basketball career because I would look up to him and want to be just like him on the basketball court. My parents also influenced me because they would be there when I needed them to, to either support me off the court and someone to push me when I was on the court, other than my coaches. Being able to have a parent or family member at every one of my games was important to me and they made that happen. Being in college is obviously going to change that, but I know that they will be there when they can.
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