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Bailey: Hard work wins
Ciara Bailey wasn’t sure that signing a National Letter of Intent was actually going to happen for her. She had problems with her grades in high school and came to Putnam Science Academy as a postgrad student to pick them back up. If she didn’t, there would be no scholarship, no signing on the dotted line.
But Bailey worked hard on and off the court through the first three-plus months of the school year and raised her grades to the point where she would be qualified to play in college next year.
So when she did sign her NLI on the night of Nov. 11, officially and fully committing to Towson University of the CAA, Bailey felt a tremendous sense of pride.
“I went through a lot to get to this point,” Bailey said. “I honestly didn’t know if I would be able to get my grades to where they needed to be and if I would be able to continue playing.
“To do that, to get my grades up…when I signed that letter, it was a very big deal. Very big deal. I’m happy, I’m proud, I’m excited. I’m motivated to keep going forward with my life.”
The Tigers, who went 14-15 last year (9-9 in the CAA) and are coached by Diane Richardson, will be thrilled to have Bailey with them next year.
“Ciara is really athletic, really long, really versatile,” said PSA coach Devin Hill. “What makes her potentially special at the next level is defensively. She can guard a lot of different positions, she’s all over the court, flying all over the place. She’s a really good shot blocker, she gets in passing lanes. She’s really an impact kid just as far as physically.”
Said Bailey: “I’m an energetic player. I love to run the floor and play defense. That’s my big thing.”
She added that she chose Townson because she has a longstanding relationship with the coaching staff, which started recruiting her about a year ago.
“They were great and made me feel at home right away,” she said. “Everyone there was very welcoming. I fell in love with it, honestly. I felt like I was where I belonged. I worked for this, and now I can’t wait to get started with them.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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