Carleton verbally commits to Iowa State University
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Bridget Carleton was blown away by the fan support during her visit to Iowa State University.
She's looking forward to hearing those huge crowds cheer for her.
The McGregor basketball star has verbally committed to play for the Cyclones starting in the fall of 2015.
“I can't imagine what it's going to be like,” said the 16-year-old from Chatham. “It's probably going to be an unreal experience. I've never played in front of that many people. It's going to be a lot of fun.”
The Cyclones averaged more than 9,900 fans this past season, the second-highest home attendance in the NCAA.
Carleton will have to pack her dancing shoes with her sneakers when she goes to Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones have been to the Big Dance – the NCAA tournament – for eight consecutive years and 15 times in 19 years.
The six-foot-two guard/forward is still in Grade 11. She could have waited to choose a university, but she fell in love with Iowa State.
“It was my No. 1 and it had been for awhile,” she said. “It was the right feeling. I knew it was where I wanted to go.”
The coaches, the fans, the community, the basketball program – she's impressed by everything there.
She also visited Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Villanova and Toledo, but none measured up to Iowa State.
“I think it'll be good,” she said about the early commitment. “I just need to focus on what I need to do to keep improving. The national team and the JUEL stuff – I can focus on that and not have to worry about recruiting.”
Carleton plays for the London Ramblers in the Junior Elite League (JUEL) of Ontario. She was a second-team all-star last season despite being one of the league's youngest players.
She's also close to making Team Canada for the second straight year.
“Her potential is endless with her IQ, her work ethic and her skills,” said Carly Clarke, head coach of the Canadian under-17 team. “If she keeps working like she always has, I fully expect to be cheering for her at the Olympics some day, and no doubt she'll have a pro career when she's done at Iowa State.”
Carleton was Canada's leading scorer at the FIBA Americas under-16 championship last year.
The Canadians won silver medals, earning a trip to the FIBA under-17 world championship June 28 to July 6 in Klatovy and Pizen, Czech Republic.
“She's one of, if not the, most skilled players on our team,” Clarke said. “And her basketball IQ is incredibly high. She understands the game.”
Clarke named her a co-captain last year, hoping the normally quiet Carleton would be more vocal in a leadership role. The plan worked.
“She excelled,” Clarke said. “If you give Bridget a challenge, she's going to rise to it. She's demonstrated that in a number of different areas.”
The final tryout camp for the Canadian U17 team begins June 9.
Carleton wants to play with the national program for as long as she can. That's fine with the Cyclones, which is another reason she chose them.
She began talking with Iowa State last September, visited in late December and committed this week.
“I was really comfortable when I was there,” said Carleton, a three-time Team Ontario player who turns 17 on May 22. “That was the main thing.”
She also likes the Cyclones' style of play.
“They're smart, they're athletic and they like to shoot the ball, which I like to do,” she said. “The motion offence they run is similar to things I've done before, so it'll be easy to fall into.”
With her size and skills, Carleton can play several positions.
She was usually a shooting guard or small forward with the U16 team last year, but she also saw action at point guard.
“One of her greatest strengths is her versatility,” Clarke said. “Because she has a high understanding of the game, she can go out there and adjust pretty quickly to whatever you ask her to do.”
No matter where she plays, she's a difficult matchup for opposing teams. She can shoot over smaller players or use her speed to get past taller ones. And her stroke continues to get better and better.
“She's now a knockdown three-point shooter,” Clarke said. “... Her pullup game is great and she's getting better at finishing at the rim.”
Carleton will be the first Canadian on the Cyclones women's basketball team. However, the men's team has signed players from north of the border, most notably Toronto's Melvin Ejim.
Ejim was the Big 12 Player of the Year this season. Could Carleton follow in his footsteps?
“They have talked about that, actually,” she said, chuckling.
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