By Ryan Mink
rmink@digitalsports.com
As St. John’s girls basketball players Dymond James and Sydney Wilson signed their National Letters of Intent Monday afternoon, they each had different reasons for their college decisions.
For Wilson, a transfer from Pittsburgh who felt like a freshman all over again last year at St. John’s, she’s finally settling down in Washington DC and will play for Georgetown.
James, on the other hand, is looking for a fresh start and will pack up her bags and head to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
For each, however, a promising college career awaits.
“It’s a very exciting time for them and for the program,†Coach Jonathan Scribner said. “To see them go and put their education in front of everything and go to two great schools like Air Force and Georgetown, it’s a proud moment.â€
James, who was described as the heart and soul of the Cadets by Scribner, averaged 9.3 points and 9 rebounds per game her junior season and was named to the second team All-WCAC squad.
James has undergone a position switch during her career and got a new head coach last year in Scribner. She described her time as St. John’s as “versatile†but in a good way. That’s because James likes change.
Thus she chose Air Force, where her father also attended. James said her dad actually didn’t want her to go to Air Force but rather the Ivy League schools such as Columbia, Harvard or Colgate that also recruited her.
But in the end, James chose Air Force because she liked the school, including the academics and its distance from home.
“It’s far away and kind of a new start for me,†James said. “I guess all my life I wanted to see what else is out there.â€
Wilson, on the other hand, is happy seeing more of Washington DC. She moved from Pittsburgh last year and fell in love with the capital as soon as she drove down M Street in Georgetown, she said.
“Downtown is shopping and everything’s in DC. You don’t get better than that,†Wilson said. “I’ve never been anywhere like here. I thought New York was cool and then I got to DC and I was like, ‘This is better.’â€
Then when her Fairfax Stars AAU coach Keith Brown became an assistant coach at Georgetown, Wilson began spending more time at Georgetown and met the other players. From then on, Georgetown seemed like a natural fit and when her recruitment by Duke fell through, it was a lock.
“I’m really excited. I’ve been wanting to go to Georgetown for about two years now,” Wilson said. “I think it’s the school I would want to go to even if wasn’t playing basketball.â€
Wilson led the Cadets in scoring last year with 9.6 points per game. She also averaged four blocks.
“She’s just a game-changer on the inside, particularly on the defensive end,†Scribner said. “I’m expecting a big season out of both of them this year.â€
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