CRESTVIEW —Crestview High School senior Kerrie York fulfilled a longtime dream Wednesday morning as she signed scholarship papers to play at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala.
The scholarship is worth $42,000 annually.
The 6-foot-1 inch York averaged 12.4 points, 8.9 rebound and 2.4 assists per game last season while shooting 85 percent from the free throw line as a Bulldog post player.
Easy decision
York, who also considered The University of Mobile and Webber International in Babson Park, said Spring Hill was the best fit.
"It was kind of close to home, but not too close," she said. "I went on tour a few weeks ago and I fell in love with it. It was really nice.
“And I felt like I would fit in there when I went to work out with their team during the tryout and was playing with their returning players."
Yorksaid she will mainly be a post player for the Badgers, but Spring Hill head coach Karen McConico knows she also has an outside game and could end up playing a position on the wing.
Proud coach
Crestview girls basketball coach Kathy Combest had several players sign scholarships when she coached at Baker School, but York is her first from Crestview.
"This is special because I've only had her for one year," Combest said. "Kerrie didn't have a lot of playing time until this year.
"When I talked to all of the coaches when they called me about her, I told them, 'She has a ton of potential. She just needs to get stronger. If she gets stronger, it's just going to enhance her potential and what she can do now.'"
York has all the intangibles a coach seeks in a player, Combest said. She has great feet, she's smart and she has a good feel for the game.
"She's a little lanky now, but put a little meat on her from time in the weight room and her potential is unlimited," she said. "She shoots the 3-pointer. She shoots the jump shot, but she can also penetrate the lane in the paint."
Working to get better
York believes her fundamentals are her game’s strength, as is her ability to work hard and not get down on herself in tough situations.
Combest has seen that hard work pay off; since the end of basketball season, York’s ball handling skills have improved.
"She has worked real hard after the season and she handles the ball 10 times better now," Combest said. "She was MVP (Most Valuable Player) at that all-star game in Pensacola.
"She has a lot of confidence at that, which makes her have so much potential. She has the confidence and now she has to work and get stronger."
Randy Dickson is the Crestview News Bulletin’s sports editor. Email him at randyd@crestviewbulletin.com, tweet him @BigRandle, or call 682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: York signs with Spring Hill