|
Emily Fox (November 16, 2012) |
STANFORD — Emily Fox made her first choice her final choice.
The Lincoln County senior guard visited Austin Peay this past summer and will sign her national letter-of-intent today and then there will be a special ceremony at the school Monday for her.
Fox said she was glad to get her choice out of the way so she could help the Patriots win a second-straight 12th Region title.
“It’s a big relief. Now I don’t have to worry about anything,” she said. “I want to play my ‘A’ game, and now there’s not so much pressure on me.”
Fox said she realized Austin Peay was a perfect for her on her visit, and had her mind made up. She had talked to Northern Kentucky as well, but Austin Peay was the first school to offer, and she decided the Lady Govs fit her perfectly
“I know their style of play. They like to go inside-out. And the school itself, it’s not too big and not too small, just the way I like it,”¿Fox said. “All the athletes are like brothers and sisters down there. Everyone was just real friendly and everyone gets along.”
Austin Peay is also the alma mater of Lincoln coach Cassandra McWhorter. But McWhorter laughingly insisted there was no extra pressure put on Fox to follow in her footsteps.
“That definitely was not the plan,” she said. “They had been interested in her, and at the state tournament last year they had a chance to see her play,”¿McWhorter said. “One of my former teammates (Brooke Armistead) is an assistant coach and she’s the one who saw her play and fell in love with her.
“I didn’t have to twist her arm. I think the distance (204 miles) was at first a little uncomforting for her, but she really liked it and the girls and the campus.”
Fox’s signing fulfills her dream of being a Division I player.
“It’s always been a goal, but whenever I was trying to decide, it wasn’t one of my main focuses,”¿she said. “But when I went down there, it was just the perfect place, and it was Division I. It will be a good challenge for me too. I like a challenge.”
Fox is coming off a season where she led the Patriots to the state semifinals, and was named second team All-State by the Associated Press and Courier-Journal. She averaged 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.0 steals per contest. She shot 46 percent from the floor, 40 percent from 3-point range (90 of 227) and 76 percent at the foul line.
The Lady Govs, coached by Carrie Daniels, finished 9-22 last season, falling in the second round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
Fox said she is being recruited primarily as a shooting guard, but could also see time at the point.
McWhorter agreed that, even if she does have a little bias, Austin Peay is terrific place for Fox.
“I think it will be a perfect fit for her being a pure shooter. And she really fits into their system, and what they try to do,”¿McWhorter said. “I know on her visit, she really liked coach Daniels and the staff, and it will be a nice place for her to play.”
The Lincoln County senior guard visited Austin Peay this past summer and will sign her national letter-of-intent today and then there will be a special ceremony at the school Monday for her.
Fox said she was glad to get her choice out of the way so she could help the Patriots win a second-straight 12th Region title.
“It’s a big relief. Now I don’t have to worry about anything,” she said. “I want to play my ‘A’ game, and now there’s not so much pressure on me.”
Fox said she realized Austin Peay was a perfect for her on her visit, and had her mind made up. She had talked to Northern Kentucky as well, but Austin Peay was the first school to offer, and she decided the Lady Govs fit her perfectly
“I know their style of play. They like to go inside-out. And the school itself, it’s not too big and not too small, just the way I like it,”¿Fox said. “All the athletes are like brothers and sisters down there. Everyone was just real friendly and everyone gets along.”
Austin Peay is also the alma mater of Lincoln coach Cassandra McWhorter. But McWhorter laughingly insisted there was no extra pressure put on Fox to follow in her footsteps.
“That definitely was not the plan,” she said. “They had been interested in her, and at the state tournament last year they had a chance to see her play,”¿McWhorter said. “One of my former teammates (Brooke Armistead) is an assistant coach and she’s the one who saw her play and fell in love with her.
“I didn’t have to twist her arm. I think the distance (204 miles) was at first a little uncomforting for her, but she really liked it and the girls and the campus.”
Fox’s signing fulfills her dream of being a Division I player.
“It’s always been a goal, but whenever I was trying to decide, it wasn’t one of my main focuses,”¿she said. “But when I went down there, it was just the perfect place, and it was Division I. It will be a good challenge for me too. I like a challenge.”
Fox is coming off a season where she led the Patriots to the state semifinals, and was named second team All-State by the Associated Press and Courier-Journal. She averaged 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.0 steals per contest. She shot 46 percent from the floor, 40 percent from 3-point range (90 of 227) and 76 percent at the foul line.
The Lady Govs, coached by Carrie Daniels, finished 9-22 last season, falling in the second round of the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.
Fox said she is being recruited primarily as a shooting guard, but could also see time at the point.
McWhorter agreed that, even if she does have a little bias, Austin Peay is terrific place for Fox.
“I think it will be a perfect fit for her being a pure shooter. And she really fits into their system, and what they try to do,”¿McWhorter said. “I know on her visit, she really liked coach Daniels and the staff, and it will be a nice place for her to play.”
