Giana DeCesare '24 Recruiting Profile

I have been playing basketball since I was four years old. In my time playing as a child I was never too serious or interested in playing basketball until middle school.  I became more interested in playing the sport when I was one of only two sixth graders to make the team and when I attained my first starter position during my sixth grade middle school season.  Although these events perked my interest in the sport and playing more, I really grew and learned the most my eight grade year of middle school.  The year before, we made it all the way to the state championships only having lost the division finals game.  We made it so far, however, we lost to a more experienced team.  The same situation played out in eight grade, however, this time we were undefeated.  We made it to the state championship game it was neck and neck up until the last five minutes.  Then the opposing team started to add more pressure and they ended up winning.  This huge loss showed me the reason why I play basketball and added to my drive of working harder to be a better player.  Additionally, these two huge losses led me to the knowledge of understanding how to preserve, how to work even harder to achieve my goals, and made me into a solid shooting guard that can play at any college level. 

I think it was a good experience for me to have to handle loss and disappointment.  During those past two years I have learned the skills of perseverance, commitment and sacrifice to reach an end goal.  In college I am looking for a program that will fit my athletic and academic capabilities because I think both factors go hand in hand with one another.  Overall, I believe that I can play college basketball not only because of the talent I possess but the life skills I have also achieved over the years like a great work-ethic, perseverance skills and a growth mindset.