There is much to be excited about this time of year, and possibly no player has more to be amped up about than Kelsey Ransom. The talented wing was selected an All State player as a junior in 2019. .Thedribbledrop & NJHoopRecruit are honored to introduce Kelsey as one of our diarists in 2020. Check back throughout the season as Kelsey gives us an insider look at the life of a star student athlete playing basketball on the highest level in New Jersey.
As told to Christian Mordi / @mordi_thecomeup
Hello everyone! My name is Kelsey and I am a guard for St. Thomas Aquinas. I will be checking in with you guys twice a month to share my journey throughout my senior season!
This summer I committed to Georgetown. I wanted to get my commitment settled. I didn’t really see it as a distraction, but it can be a bit of a weight on your shoulders. After talking to the coaches and doing my research I was very comfortable and happy. I didn’t feel like I had to wait any longer. It felt right and good so why prolong it?
The recruiting process can be stressful for many people but for the most part my experience wasn’t overbearing. Georgetown was the perfect place to be, I didn’t feel like I had to wait to announce.
Last year we ended the season with a tough loss to St. John Vianney. This year we can in with the mindset of we need to do this. This wasn’t a mindset of “we can, or we want to do this.” We need to win a championship to satisfy all of our needs.
The first practice was very intense. We wanted to set a tone that we were going to go out there and work hard everyday as a unit. The games will come easy because we push so hard in practice. High pressure situations for many will come a lot easier to us due to our daily approach.
The first scrimmage was with Trenton Catholic and Franklin. We knew the season Franklin came off of and the talent Trenton Catholic had returning. We wanted to use that scrimmage as a chance to get to evaluate where to stood as a team early on. We learned a lot and saw the areas in our game we had to fix. I’m happy we had those tough challenges early so that we could address them face on and adjust so that when we face teams again on that level we are ready.
One teammate that has taken huge strides in her game was Akiya Baker. Her mindset has changed a lot. She’s kind of a deciding factor in regards to the feel of the practice. Everything she does may not show up in the stat book but she is our energy. We wouldn’t be the same team without her.
Coming to St. Thomas Aquinas I was excited and one of the big reasons was Emma. I’ve known her for awhile and this pairing has been everything I wanted it to be and more on the floor. She’s so much fun to play with her. We both have high I.Q.s and she always finds me in the right spots on the floor. I can depend on her on or off the floor. She helps me a lot.
One of our big games coming up is in the “Basketball Needs New Jersey” Showcase presented by TheDribbleDrop against Blair Academy.
Til’ Next Time,
Kelsey