Jade Vega is more concerned with a quality choice than a quick one.
The Cardinal Spellman senior guard is taking all five of her allotted visits before deciding what college she will play women’s basketball at next season. Vega has already seen St. Peter’s, Bridgeport and Wagner. She plans on checking out Cal-State Fullerton and South Alabama in April.
Vega won’t decide where she is headed until she has checked out all of them. She wants to make the best choice, not the first choice.
“I just wanted to compare all my college choices and make sure I decided to go where I really wanted to, where I feel comfortable and that I felt was the right fit,” Vega said.
She isn’t looking for anything special in a school. Bridgeport is the lone Division II program on her list. Being close to home isn’t a must. Vega just wants to feel comfortable and find a place she can grow as a player. It has been a lot to digest despite being fun to see different schools and programs.
“It has been a little overwhelming, but it’s nice to visit colleges and see what they have to offer me.”
Vega was the Pilots’ leader on and off the court this season, their point guard and go to scorer. Her best game came in one of Spellman’s biggest of the seasons. Vega scored a game-high 32 points to help the Pilots beat St. Joseph by the Sea for their second straight CHSAA Archdiocesan title.
“Jade’s leadership has been the key to the team’s success.” Spellman coach Jane Morris said after the victory. “She is the consummate floor leader.”
Her high school career ended a little short of her and the team’s goal. Spellman just missed the reaching the New York State Federation tournament for the second straight season. The Pilots fell to eventual Class A Federation champion Nazareth in the CHSAA state semifinals.
“It hurt a lot, but we knew as a team that we came far and we proved a lot of people wrong,” Vega said. “We are proud of that, but we wish we could go back and do it all over.”
