See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Joseph Staszewski
Brooklyn Daily
Some Division I colleges took some convincing to believe Nazareth’s Jen Fay could play at that level after she missed time as a sophomore because of a torn ligament.
Quinnipiac needed no such pep talk.
The Bobcats and women’s basketball coach Tricia Fabbri took an interest in the 5-foot-10 wing last December and were relentless in their recruiting. Their aggressiveness in making her a top recruiting target meant a lot to Fay.
It was the deciding factor in her verbally committing to Quinnipiac this week. She chose the Connecticut school and defending Northeast Conference champions over Richmond, Northeastern, and UNC-Wilmington because of the bond she formed with Fabbri.
“She was telling me I am a priority,” Fay said. “She had to get me up here. I know as long as I go there and work hard I am going to play.”
The rising senior, who was also impressed with the school’s medical program, got a late start impressing college coaches. The knee injury kept her off the court her entire sophomore year with her Exodus travel team as the Lady Kingsmen won a second straight Catholic Class AA state title. The strong and athletic Fay, who plays either a small or power forward, returned this year to start for Nazareth and earn All-Brooklyn first team honors from this paper.
Fay is an excellent outside shooter and rebounder, who can also score in the paint. As her conditioning improved, she was able to run the floor better and defend at a higher level. Still it took time to rehab fully and put all of her skills on display.
“Jennifer is not the typical basketball type when you look at her,” Nazareth coach Ron Kelley said. “She looks like she is slower than she is, she looks like she is not as good as she is. Then she gets on the floor and gets everything done and surprises a lot of people.”
Fay surprised herself. She finished with 15 scholarship offers after a strong season with Exodus NYC this summer. Exodus ended the live recruiting period by finishing second at the United States Junior Nationals in Washington D.C. and winning the Peach State Elite 32 event in Georgia.
“It was pretty awesome,” she said. “I didn’t think I’d have as many offers.”
Kelley expects a big year from her this coming season after she lost weight and worked on her agility. It will further allow people to see what he and fellow coach Lauren Best already knew about Fay.
“I’m very proud of her turnaround,” Kelley said. “We always thought she would be a pretty good ball player.”
Reach reporter Joseph Staszewski at jstaszewski@cnglocal.com. Follow him on twitter @cng_staszewski.