Shaniah McClendon '21 Recruiting Profile

Like some children, I come from a broken home. My father died in a motorcycle accident when I was four, and my mother is constantly working as a registered nurse. I have two sisters, one who is twelve years older than me, and the other is nine years older than me. As they grew up, moved out, and even started their own families, I had to grow up faster than other children my age.

I began playing basketball in kindergarten, and I ended my career in seventh grade. I also played football in fifth and sixth grade, goalie for a local soccer club in fifth grade, and I even tried rugby my freshman year of high school. Playing and watching sports was a passion I loved, but as I got older, I started to get “burned out”. 

My favorite teacher was the middle school track coach; in eighth grade, she recommended me to try shotput and discus. I did, and it turned out I was good at it. I averaged first and second place at almost every meet, and even got second and third at state. The high school track coach wanted me to throw for him, but I was too caught up in the wrong things. Finally, my mom begged me to throw again my junior year.

As I have gotten older, I have debated on going into the military, going to college, and even going straight into the workforce. I have dreamed of going into the WNBA, I have  dreamed of becoming a doctor, and I have dreamed of becoming a chef. My mother has been a HUGE impact on my life as I have maintained A‘s and B’s in school, and she has always pushed me to be greater. Although I have let her down with some of my past decisions, I will always strive to be the greatest I can be. Coming from the small town I have lived in my entire life, I plan to get out and make something of myself, whether it is academically or athletically.