TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — There's nothing like getting the chance to play for your hometown team,and for Munroe's Ashari McNeil, that's now reality. The point guard will don the blue and gold next season for the Tallahassee Community College women's basketball team, a decision she said was easy to make once the opportunity presented itself.
"Soon as I got the offer I was excited," she said. "I felt like that was going to be home, and being able to represent my hometown. I'm definitely excited about bringing back the culture of TCC. New journey of being in college, it's an exciting opportunity."
In the Rose City, it was two of Thomasville High School's best basketball players time to shine. Laila Harvey is off to Jacksonville to play for Trinity Baptist, while AJ Dent is headed to Itawamba Community College, so a big day for both as they represent the Bulldogs the right way.
"Thomasville means a lot to me, I've been here my whole life, everybody knows me, I know everybody, it means so much to me," said Dent. "I feel like JUCO is the best route so I can develop my game before I try to go D1, it feels good man, it feels great."
"Ever since I started playing basketball when I was younger, I always wanted to go to college and play basketball and continue my dreams of playing," added Harvey. "They welcomed me with open arms and everything and I am ready to play with my new teammates."
In Tallahassee, Maclay libero Rivers Bond is headed two hours to the east and south to Gainesville, where she'll play for Santa Fe College.
For Bond, it's the perfect fit, as becoming a Saint allows her to stay close to home and her family. Bond said she has traveled all over the country playing the sport, now all that time spent on her craft has resulted in an opportunity to play in college, and she doesn't take that lightly.
"A lot of that came into when COVID hit, people getting their extra year," she said of trying to obtain a schoalrship. "Trying to find that place was really hard, but finally getting able to sign was such a dream come true. It's amazing to sit here and be like, I'm going somewhere with volleyball. It wasn't just eight years."
