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PSA basketball player commits
Yes, Sophia, it is real. Sophia Fontaine, a versatile 6-foot, 2-inch power forward on the Putnam Science Academy girls’ basketball team, committed last week to Stetson University, and the feeling was a little … unreal.
“I didn’t really know how to feel,” she said. “I’ve been wanting to commit for a while. That’s always the end goal. I was shocked actually. When I said it, I was like, ‘Wow. I’m really committed, I’m really going here.’ The recruiting process is really hard sometimes, so it was just a great feeling.”
Stetson, located in central Florida about 40 miles north of Orlando, checked off a lot of boxes for the 18-year-old postgrad student. Head coach Lynn Brian showed a high level of commitment to her from the start. The Hatters, who play in the Atlantic Sun Conference, have an all-women coaching staff. The school is not too big, but not too small. It’s an excellent academic school with plenty of academic support. It was just the right place for her, Fontaine said.
The Boston native has dealt with a lot to get to this point, both physical and mental. Knee issues, a broken finger, a foot injury, all of which caused her to miss time on the court. She is also dealing with anxiety that she believes stemmed from the recruitment process.
“It was probably because I felt a lot of pressure,” she said. “I’ve bottled up my emotions and feelings before and I’ve realized that digs a deeper hole for myself. I’m not afraid to share what’s going on. Maybe not all the details all the time but I’m OK to talk about stuff. I’m not putting up a wall.”
Playing basketball helps. It’s a chance to just go play and learn.
“I love basketball,” Fontaine said. “It’s fun. Winning is fun. Yeah, you take your losses but you learn from them and then you just get better. It can be hard, you’re going to be tired and sore. You have to go to school and be on top of that and go to practice and meetings and lift weights and 6 a.m. workouts.
“I’ve been doing this since I was in the third grade. And now, at the end of the day, I’m going to go to a school where I’m a priority. Stetson stayed with me through all of this. I’m so happy and excited to get started.”
Fontaine and the Mustangs opened their season last week at a showcase event in Ontario, Canada, going 2-1.
Fontaine had six points, five rebounds, four steals and three blocks in the first game, a 93-54 win. KC Cedano added 23 points and eight rebounds while Ines Goryanova had 20 points and seven assists. PSA lost its second game, 93-82, despite 13 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals from Cedano and 15 from Janeya Grant. The Mustangs bounced back well in game three, getting 26 points and six boards from Grant and 17 points from Jada Mills in a 103-62 win.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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