McDermott lands scholarship to Utah
The next time the Ashland faithful sit down to watch Josi McDermott play basketball, it might be in front of a TV tuned to ESPN.
McDermott, one of the best all-round players in Ashland High girls basketball history, has accepted a full-ride scholarship from the University of Utah, a Mountain West Conference powerhouse that’s a regular at the NCAA tournament.
The 5-foot-11 wing visited the campus at Provo, Utah, on Monday and Tuesday and immediately clicked with the players and head coach Elaine Elliott before committing on Wednesday. Elliott, who just completed her 23rd year at the helm, has led the Utes to 14 NCAA tourney appearances, including a birth in the Elite Eight in 2006.
“I’m thrilled and really flattered,” McDermott said. “It was nerve-racking up until the day they called. I just had no idea where I was going to go “¦ It was the best phone call of my life.”
Other schools trying to land the 2006 Southern Sky Conference player of the year included Humboldt State, Chico State and Lewis and Clark State College, which also offered a full ride. But McDermott’s heart was in Provo after what proved to be an affirming trip.
“I just felt really good about the visit there,” she said. “All the coaches and the players were fantastic. I really like their philosophy and their attitude in general.”
McDermott graduates from Ashland High on June 8 and is tentatively planning on attending summer school at Utah beginning June 20.
The process of preparing her body for the Division I grind will likely begin soon thereafter.
“A serious amount of time will be spent in the weight room, I have a feeling,” McDermott said.
A second-team all-state selection in 2007, McDermott led the Grizzlies with a do-everything game.
She averaged about 12 points per game as a senior and was instrumental on defense as well. In 2006, she helped the team secure a program-best fifth-place trophy at the state tournament.
McDermott’s commitment to Utah makes her the second Ashland girl basketball player in as many years to snare a Division I scholarship.
She follows former Ashland guard Jamie Roupp, who’s at Washington State.
