PELHAM, N.H. — Briana Szidat's skills on the basketball court are undeniable, as evidenced by the fact that the 6-3 center has led Pelham in scoring in each of the past three seasons.
Next fall, she'll be showing off those skills at UMass Lowell. She signed her letter-of-intent this past Monday.
"It's exciting because I don't have to think about it anymore, I know where I'm going," said Szidat. "I have it a lot easier than a lot of other kids who have to apply to like five or 10 different schools. I only have to apply to one."
Szidat was an honorable-mention Eagle-Tribune last winter, when the intriguing 6-3 center averaged 13.3 points a game.
Pelham coach Tim Powers said, "She's a very good player, and you can obviously see from all the stats and schools she was recruited by, she can definitely play the game. She's a key part of our offense, and she's very tough to stop. She's a huge part of the success we've had on the court."
Szidat is confident her skills will translate at the next level.
She said, "I think I'm ready to go out there. I just have to work hard, stay focused and do what the coaches tell me to do and I'll be fine."
There is potential for early playing time as four of the River Hawks' five tallest players are seniors.
Szidat said she also considered offers from several other schools including Central Connecticut and Winthrop (South Carolina).
Szidat is about 200 points shy of 1,000 career points, which is a milestone she admits she'd love to reach.
Also, despite her individual success, the Pythons suffered through a 4-17 campaign last winter.
"Hopefully we win a few games," said Szidat. "This year we want to try to make playoffs and we're already working really hard. I think we have it, we're definitely a stronger team this year."
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