For Cecilia Kay, it was an easy decision.
The Bishop Fenwick junior basketball star and two-time reigning Salem News Girls Player of the Year wanted to play college ball at a Division 1 basketball program. So when she received a full scholarship to American University in Washington, D.C., she didn’t waste much time accepting it.
“American University was what I really wanted,” Kay, one of 10 children in her family. said. “I had been down for a couple of unofficial visits and loved the coaches. Once they offered, I was very excited.”
The 6-foot-2 power forward, who had been speaking with several schools and had two official offers, called Eagles’ head women’s basketball coach Tiffany Coll to accept the offer last Thursday, but didn’t tell anybody about it until the following day.
Bishop Fenwick coach Adam DeBaggis, whose team reached the Division 3 state final this past winter, said Kay has worked extremely hard for this opportunity.
“It’s Cecilia’s dream to play at the highest level, and it’s really nice when a great human being reaches their goal,” said DeBaggis. “It’s also great for her family. They will have a relatively short flight to catch her games, and there are also a couple of local ones each year (where American will play) at Boston University and Holy Cross.”
Having joined the 1,000 Point Club this past winter, Kay led the area in points (22.2) and rebounds (12.4) per game while also averaging 4.1 blocked shots per contest. She finished the season with 572 total points, 337 rebounds and 112 blocks; Kay also had double-doubles in 24 of the Crusaders’ 26 games, with three performances of 30 points or more.
A three-time Catholic Central League all-star (and runner-up for league MVP this past winter), Kay is also a star in the classroom with a 4.8 grade point average. She plans to follow a pre-law track with plans to go to law school.
DeBaggis said the nation’s capital is the prefect place to be for anybody wanting to study law.
“Overall, it’s just a great fit,” DeBaggis said. “She’ll have a chance to challenge herself at a high level, friends and family will be able to watch her play, and Cecilia will have great opportunities as she heads into her professional life.”
Kay rarely came off the court and led the Crusaders in the Division 3 state championship game with 23 points against arch rival St. Mary’s of Lynn. Fenwick came close to pulling off the upset of the year in the title game but fell just short, 45-41.
She’ll have a busy summer playing for her AAU team. the Mass Huskies, travelling to various tournaments, including one Kay is really looking forward to in Chicago.
“My goal for senior year is to get back to Lowell (Tsongas Center) again — but with a different result,’ she said. “Now that I’ve committed I don’t have to worry about anything else my last year: just play for fun and help my team win.”